How to be Engaged, not Enraged?

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So, I care about things. I follow what's going on, I want to make a difference. And the world I care about is dominated by battling forms of murderous stupidity. So I get angry. A white-hot trembling rage that isn't actually useful, as a red-eyed, foamy-mouthed, stammering and shaking Phosphorous Decree ain't a great advertisement for the Cause. Not that I can find a Cause I entirely agree with.

And the rage starts to mess up daily life. And leads to feelings of futility and self hatred: I'm never actually going to disembowel politicians X, Y and Z with a rusty corkscrew, and I'm kind of appalled that I want to. Flamewars aren't the answer: I don't have the requisite patience or bad manners for hours of shouting abuse at strangers who will never, ever agree with my point of view.

So I do nothing (bar the odd bit of slacktivism, and that volunteer placement I was preeetty bad at) and try to ignore it all. There's still a nagging feeling that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and that it's the fault of many, many people, and that I'm one of them, 'cos I'm doing nothing to help.

I suspect there's quite a few people here who care about politics and have trouble with anger. Do you manage to be an activist or stand your corner in debates without [repeat, WITHOUT] the rage taking over? If so, how?

I'm trying to become Zen about things, like george carlin in his later years said:" just don't have a stake in it."

Which is easier said when you're old, rich and famous.
Or in my case, when you had the opportunity to leave the UK and go back to central europe, where I earn significantly more and pau significantly less for everything.
But I had to give up friends and opportunities and 24/7 living for that, and resorted to becoming a bit of a hermit, because outside is just so boring.

So, first, I advise you to sign the diem25 petition to change the EU, as long as you're still in it.
Because I get the concept of leaving to reclaim democracy, and it's valid.
And then consided the radical left.
Because politics have devolved into centrist-there is no alternative-preachers, incapable of change, and protest right-wingers.
I want a third option.

But I'm sorry for you and the friends I left behind, who are now feeling the same anger as you do.

Anger can be a motivating force - it motivated people like Ghandi and so many other great changers, though it didn't create the change that was his vision. He created the vision, created the strategy, created the analysis, and never hid behind mere words, nor thought that words without action could actualise the change he wanted to see and wanted to become. He learned to rein in the wild horse of anger and channel its energy. What an exemplar...