A review by iffer
Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens
Although I skimmed the portions of this book that had instructions for meditation practice (partially because I was unaware going in that there was a practice/"self-help" component to this book, and partially because it makes sense to read them in more detail if I actually attempt the methods), I appreciated this very much. Reading it gave me an unexpected sense of peace, which was, perhaps one if its aims, to create spaciousness around anger and rage so that love and compassion can coexist with them. Lama Rod Owens manages to communicate complex feelings and concepts about anger, hurt, transhistorical trauma, suffering, and other related topics in a way that is deceptively clear and simple. I'm grateful Owens chose to share his experience and wisdom in the hopes of helping others despite the fact that this is an incredibly vulnerable book.
Of the many takeaways in the book, a few that impacted me (both new thoughts and revisted ones are the following):
Where there is anger, look for the woundedness that it is protecting.
Marginalized people take on emotional labor for greater society by being free, by being their authentic free selves in a society that is not built for them to thrive.
Self-care is not self-indulgence if self-care is what is done to ensure that one can continue the work of reducing the suffering in one's community.
It is important to learn to live an embodied existence, including trusting and being mindful of what the body is communicating, even if it is pain.
Of the many takeaways in the book, a few that impacted me (both new thoughts and revisted ones are the following):
Where there is anger, look for the woundedness that it is protecting.
Marginalized people take on emotional labor for greater society by being free, by being their authentic free selves in a society that is not built for them to thrive.
Self-care is not self-indulgence if self-care is what is done to ensure that one can continue the work of reducing the suffering in one's community.
It is important to learn to live an embodied existence, including trusting and being mindful of what the body is communicating, even if it is pain.