Seneca defined anger as "a burning desire to avenge a wrong" or "a burning desire to punish him by whom you think yourself to have been unfairly harmed". He said "Man was created for mutual assistance, anger for mutual destruction..."and "anger is greedy for punishment…". Seneca argued that “prosperity fosters bad tempers” as he observed that prosperous people are more prone to anger.
Seneca names anger as the greatest vice and the most dangerous passion. There is no lack of evidence that anger can take the mind of whoever has given himself to it, and turn it against all sanity, resulting in brutish violence that usually has little reason except for that present in the person’s mind. Unlike any other passion, anger can take a hold of an entire state or group. It attacks not only those who it is directed at, but the also person who hosts it. Because of its irrationality and intensity, it will easily cause one to overkill, since it sways one towards pure and uncontrolled violence. Aristotle proposes that anger is necessary for one to be driven towards virtue, and without it one becomes lazy and indifferent. But Seneca disagrees; although it is possible for one to benefit from anger, it does not follow that it is good or necessary, being as loathsome and dangerous as it is. It is simply not worth the risk to be driven in this way, because it harms the self. One afflicted with anger is no more than a beast at that point.
After making the evil of anger more than clear, Seneca states that no one is safe from anger. Those who are calm are just as likely to fall victim to its wrath as those who are irritable and easily angered. With this in mind, he tells how anger can be avoided. First of all, one must consider the evil of anger, and all of the horrible things which have been done under its influence. In short, one must have the knowledge of what is bad before even deciding to avoid it. Secondly, one must understand that anger and the thirst for revenge is simply an admission of pain and proof that a certain action (despite its reason) had damaged one’s mind. A damaged mind cannot be great by its nature. Seneca says that greatness is truly being in an imperturbable state. When one is free from and above the trivial things which often cause anger, one can truly achieve greatness of the mind. In order for this to be so, one must also be tranquil. So in that he suggests attaining a calm state of mind. Anger is often caused by disappointment; it happens when much is expected, and then little is delivered. To avoid this, one must expect little from others. Disappointment happens because of one’s expectations for himself as well, so one should avoid being overambitious, unless one is truly prepared for the difficulty of the task. Now, to coddle this weakness would not ever be a solution, for then one demands that all things comply with his desires. This would only create more weakness. Weakness only allows easier irritability. Rather, one must examine himself, and recognize the symptoms of his anger. His pulse may race, his face may get flushed, his muscles may tighten; if these signs are known, one can recognize them and more easily restrain his anger before it becomes uncontrollable. Seneca states that if one restrains his anger, and makes an effort to keep his physical demeanor calm and collected, his mind will soon conform to the calmness he presents on the outside.
The problem with anger is that it is ignited by a certain action, and the only reason for it is the way that action makes one feel. It is foolish to get angry about something which actually deserves respect, but that is often the case. Seneca suggests that it is best, then, not to waste your life on this passion, for it is insane. Rather, accept life’s tolls, and endure them with calmness and dignity. Welcome judgment, and take the time to judge yourself at the end of the day, go through all of your actions and find what needs improvement. If one is angry, he can either be pacified by letting his anger fade, or he can be scolded by something greater, then he will be corrected. Even with all of this, the main idea is not to waste time on such a vicious passion, for before you know it, death will be at hand. Take the effort to be kind to one another, for anger can be excited in all people equally. Whatever it may be, it is something to be ridden of.
Aristotle claims that anger is necessary as a way to drive one to virtue. It is a passion which may be propel one forward, and when properly guided, will take one to the good. Because of its intensity, when aligned with Reason, it would have the ultimate strength. He also claims that without this passion one becomes apathetic and lazy. Anger is commonly seen in this way, simply because it is powerful. As Seneca said, people often see easily angered men as men with spirit and strength. In a like way, one who is angered quickly as also one more quickly feared, so anger also may give on a stronger sense of power. This passion is different from the rest, primarily because it causes one to act immediately. Between the built-up rage, and the adrenaline and changes within the body, one will get caught up in his own actions even if he does not dictate them himself; his anger does. I understand why this can be seen as a good thing. As Aristotle said, the lack of this may cause one to simply cease acting.
Seneca contends with Aristotle’s defense of anger, simply by exposing how bad it is. For one, it is strong and negative, therefore causing damage that wouldn’t ever be justified when not under the influence of anger. It causes one to overkill and act unjustly. Secondly, it can be caused by anything, and whatever causes it is usually not even be worthy of rage. What causes one to become angry is only dependent on himself. It is ignited by an action alone, and it doesn’t consider the reasons or motives for the action. One would be agitated if one were to come up and strike him in the face without reason, but one should be grateful if one strikes him in order to bat him out of the face of danger. Anger focuses on the action isolated by itself, so it doesn’t matter if one struck you for no reason at all or to save your life, all that matters is that he hit you, and that excites your anger. All this simply reveals the evil and irrationality of anger, but by stating it, Seneca is suggesting that something which causes so much havoc and is so irrational cannot be a necessary component to the virtuous life. To this one could respond by saying that a wild horse can be broken, then made into a powerful steed, just as anger can be trained by reason, then used as a powerful drive. My response to that would be that anger by its nature is untamed. Once it is tamed, it is no longer anger, and in that case, it is merely suppressed, or calmed. Its nature is irrational, so for anger to be trained by Reason also causes it to lose its meaning. Seneca puts emphasis on the fact that anger makes you feel the desire to act with your own hands; anger is not a desire for justice, for if it were, one would not feel the need to act on their anger themselves, they would have someone else deliver the action justly. This is simply another reason why anger cannot drive one towards justice, for any action done out of anger is simply done to satisfy the often unjustified rage of the one inflicting it.
Greatness and virtue can only be reached in a state of tranquility, for it is then that the mind is without debilitating fog, having clarity and harmony. It can rise above any obstacles and handle everything justly.
But I think, when tranquility and anger both are in harmony with nature they will help us to move forward and achieve great things.