Sometimes my posts address how to solve everyday life problems in ways that are a win-win for people and planet. These have proven popular, i.e. Top Five Tips On Breaking Free of Credit Cards, and How To Save Money On Gas, and The Very Best Diet. Lots of us would like to save money and lose weight 
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Something else we’d all like, but think about somewhat less, is to be safe from aggression. I recently wrote on the topic of rape, and how a free flow of information and a lack of secrets or shame helps rape victims to heal. Greater likelihood of victims speaking out may also help deter rapists from attacking again. Here’s a good fact sheet on rape. It points out that rapists are not just more aggressive and angry than most people, but they are more willing to act on those feelings.
Do you notice how you are less comfortable with the topic of rape than that of saving money or losing weight? I definitely find it less comfortable. But I’m sitting with that discomfort for a few minutes today, and I’m asking you to do the same. While many people will never be raped (thank God!) we will all be affected by aggression in some way. And the resources that we depend on for our lives (water, air, soil) are constantly being affected and depleted by aggression. Human aggression.
Aggression is an intrinsic part of being human, and physical violence, like rape, is only one example of it. I know I have often been verbally aggressive toward my husband. I work to control that tendency, fairly successfully. We all have some aggression, whether we’re parents getting angry at a child’s misbehavior, or an oilman chanting “Drill, baby, drill”, or a salesperson determined to land some sales, or a recreational athlete striving to score a goal or block a goal.
I’m convinced that aggression itself is not the problem, but what we do with our aggressive tendencies. Do we act them out and victimize other people or natural resources in the process, or do we control our aggression and channel the energy into constructive things?
I’m being practical here, not rhetorical. When we’re angry do we take a brisk walk or a trip to the gym to calm down somewhat, or do we verbally lash out at coworkers or family members? If caffeine, alcohol or sugary foods make us at all agitated or aggressive , do we control our intake of those things? Self-discipline is hard, I know from experience, especially in a culture that pushes maximum consumption.
The common denominator between rape and the current worldwide destruction of natural resources is unchecked aggression: taking whatever you want using any means at your disposal, without regard for the consequences or how it affects others.
Healthy families, workplaces, communities and economies, in contrast, share the common denominator of self-discipline. They create checks and balances against aggression, whether the aggression is toward people, other species or natural resources. Consumption becomes moderate and sustainable.
And given that aggressive can be generative, not just destructive, how about turning our aggression toward the problem of global warming? It’s a common enemy if there ever was one.
photo courtesy of Aphrodite
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