Cambridge dictionary defines outrage as a feeling of anger and shock (noun) and to cause someone to feel very angry, shocked, or upset (verb). In other words, there is both an internal and external experience of the emotion. The internal experience of outrage is one of passive anger (shock), but expressive outrage is active, where you cause someone to feel angry or upset.
We see outrage (in its expressive form) in various aspects of today’s society, including politics, social media, news, social justice movements and in business. And its not all to be condemned either. The business was where I became familiar with expressive outrage most intimately.
The internal outrage starts deep in the human heart (or amygdala if you want to be scientifically correct). It originates from a trigger that either suddenly or slowly makes us feel as if something is unfair, unequal or threatening to our livelihood. In many ways, outrage can be a productive emotion because is asks you to react and initiate change. Unfortunately, that is also where companies and individuals have found a powerful influence over you – for their profit, not yours.
When information is free, it is our attention becomes costly, but it’s really worth nothing if that attention does not lead to a reaction. With the exponential growth of technology and its influence over you, there is no shortage of current and future triggers for outrage.
You are a calm and collected individual who does not have outrage at heart.
I would consider myself such individual. However, it is what we are certain of that isn’t so, which causes us our deepest miseries in life. The same goes for outrage. Think about it this way; outrage is the compilation of many emotions, the most expressive one being rage, or tier four outrage.
Tier I Depression: This starts when something happens which you did not want to have happen, like a financial loss or a bad break-up. It might also start with something that you dearly wanted to happen, but it didn’t happen – like that promotion or sales deal that fell through. This initial feeling of outrage can lead to feelings of disappointment and depression. It is where individuals face perceived injustice or moral violation. They may feel a sense of helplessness and hopelessness in the face of the situation. There is no expressive action at this stage.
Tier II Stress: As the outrage intensifies, it can lead to feelings of stress as individuals feel pressed to find a solution to the perceived injustice. They may feel a sense of urgency and a need to make a change happen. At this stage individual may consider action.
Tier III Anger: The build-up of depression and stress can lead to feelings of anger as individuals become determined that taking action is essential to reestablish order. It is decidedly non-acceptance. Individuals may feel a sense of injustice, resentment and want to seek retribution or hold others accountable. This where anger finds a target and, then chooses and plans action. Individuals become subject to anger and begin expressing it to the outside world.
Tier IV Rage: The culmination of depression, stress, and anger can lead to rage. Rage is a more intense and destructive emotion and is often characterised by feelings of intense anger and a desire for revenge. At this stage feeling are no longer contained to the inner world. Rage is active, expressive, and directed at individuals, groups, institutions or systems who are seen as responsible for the perceived injustice.
Disclaimer: It’s important to note that this build-up of emotions is not linear, and people may experience the emotions differently. Additionally, it’s not necessary for everyone who experiences outrage to go through each level, and not all people experience rage. This is a concept to help us think systematically about the causes of outrage.
If the four tiers of outrage are the rising temperature, then we are the frog in the pot of water on the stove. At one point, we won’t know what happened. This is also why we find ourselves sober after expressions of outrage and ask ourselves: “Why did I say that?”, “Why did I do that?” and “Haw can it be that I don’t recognise that side of myself?”
The outrage we create in others.
My brother once revealed a truth about me that hit heard. This is what he said: “Alex I know you want what is best for others, but firstly you want whats best for you. Sometimes you think you leave people better off, but in reality its bitter sweet.”
It hit hard because I always thought I did what was best for others. However, at times, my actions provided the fertile soil and seed for the emotions of outrage to sprout in others. Planting this seed of outrage is like planting a weed in a garden. At first, it may be small and easy to overlook, but as it grows and spreads, it can choke out the healthy plants and take over the entire garden, ruining the beauty and harmony of the space. I became sensitive to how people planted outrage in myself and others around me. It became a mission for me to make those who create outrage in others aware of their actions.
The thing is we all to some degree create expressive outrage, but we are ignorant as to how we do it. I like this phrase from a poem by David Whyte as an example of why we see no wrong in our expressions of outrage:
“ANGER is the deepest form of compassion, for another, for the world, for the self, for a life, for the body, for a family and for all our ideals, all vulnerable and all, possibly about to be hurt…” from Anger by David Whyte
If anger (Tier 3 outrage) is the deepest form of compassion, just terribly misguided, then of course we see no problem sharing it with others, because we believe we do what is best. This is why we fight with our spouse, our friends, children, co-workers or ourselves from a point we feel justified about. However, anger or any kind of expressive outrage is rarely the means for a productive outcome, but rather the co-creation of more outrage.
What if there was another path?
I know this post might not been the most uplifting, perhaps you are even sitting with more outrage than before. However, outrage is growing in our world and in our hearts, it is both an expressive suite of emotions and a influencer tool to make you react. And even if you are a calm individual you most likely still create outrage in the heart of others unbeknownst to yourself.
While we might not be in control of reactions we cause in others, we can be mindful of out intentions and the seeds we spread. Outrage is a state that is heavily influenced by our work, consumption of information, societal and cultural norms, and that spills over in our relationships with ourselves and others. This is why we need to refocus on the act and practice of Outcalm.
Outcalm is the antonym of outrage and in many ways similar to calmness. There is a crucial difference – Outcalm can be expressive. Just like outrage as an expressive verb, Outcalm can be expressed with intention. Just like outrage we can intentionally can cause others to feel more calm, collected, peaceful. We can learn to sow seeds of Outcalm for them to express further.
With Outcalm.com we intend to make calmness the competitive advantage of the 21st century and to actively offset outrage in our world. Want to learn how? Outcalm now.
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