What Good News Does Ryan Martin Offer About Anger?

On TED Talks Daily, Ryan Martin says the good news is that people can do something their nonhuman ancestors could not: regulate emotion. Even when you want to lash out, you can stop and channel the anger into something more useful. He rejects the idea that anger is simply bad and should be calmed, relaxed, or let go. He treats it like thirst or hunger, a signal that should move you. Racism, sexism, bullying, and environmental destruction are worth getting angry about, he says. The response does not have to be violent. He lists protest, letters, donations, volunteering, art, and building a community that refuses those harms.