To Those Who Think They Need Permission to Feel Strong Emotions: It Is Okay to Feel Angry
- john raymond
- May 25
- 2 min read
There is a quiet kind of violence in the way our culture shames strong emotions. From childhood, many of us are told to “calm down,” to “be reasonable,” to not make a scene. We are taught that anger is dangerous, that it means we’ve lost control, that good people do not raise their voices. We learn to fear our emotions—especially the ones that burn.
But let me say this clearly, without apology or hedging: it is okay to feel angry.
Anger is not always a sign of moral failure. Sometimes, it is evidence that your moral compass is working. Anger is the body’s cry that something is wrong, that something precious is being threatened, that a sacred boundary has been crossed. It is the signal that you still care—that you are still human in a world that too often demands your numbness.
You are not wrong to feel strong emotions. You are not weak for being overwhelmed. And you are not broken for feeling rage at injustice. You are awake.
Yes, anger can become a poison if we nurse it too long, if we let it metastasize into bitterness or hatred. Forgiveness, when it is possible, can be a medicine. But anger itself—righteous, clear-eyed, and focused—can be a force for healing, for action, for courage.
And now is a time for anger.
The world is under assault. Trump, Putin, and others like them are not just corrupt politicians or strongmen with different values. They are destroyers. They lie with purpose. They weaponize fear. They aim to erase truth, justice, compassion—anything that cannot be controlled. They want a world without accountability, without memory, without resistance. They want to burn it all down and rule over the ashes.
It is not only okay to be angry at this. It is right.
So if you are one of those people who worry about being too emotional, too intense, too “political,” hear this: You are right to feel what you feel. Your anger is valid. And anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. They may be well-meaning. They may be afraid. But more importantly, they are mistaken. They don’t understand the stakes. They don’t understand that silence is not neutrality, that stillness is not peace, that repression is not virtue.
To be angry now is not a failure of character. It is a sign that you have not gone numb. That you still believe in justice. That you still believe in something better.
Let that anger sharpen you. Let it give you clarity, not cruelty. Let it move you, not drown you. Let it be the fire that forges—not the fire that consumes.
Because you are not alone. And you are not wrong. You're human. And this world needs more humans who are not afraid to feel anger at the evils of evil men.
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