Which is worse: doing wrong out of anger OR doing wrong out of desire?
Theophrastus, in his comparison of bad acts- such a comparison as one would make in accordance with the common notions of mankind- says, like a true philosopher, that the offences which are committed through desire are more blameable than those which are committed through anger. For he who is excited by anger seems to turn away from reason with a certain pain and unconscious contraction; but he who offends through desire, being overpowered by pleasure, seems to be in a manner more intemperate and more womanish in his offences. Rightly then, and in a way worthy of philosophy, he said that the offence which is committed with pleasure is more blameable than that which is committed with pain; and on the whole the one is more like a person who has been first wronged and through pain is compelled to be angry; but the other is moved by his own impulse to do wrong, being carried towards doing something by desire. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 2, Meditation 10
Our mind has evolved into it’s current state over many millennia. A key reason is our ability to survive. Survival depends on our access to basic necessities (needs) and our ability to avert threats. One of the key reasons we can avert threats is because our body knows how to respond. Adrenaline is released. Our muscles tighten. Our heart rate and blood pressure elevates. We prepare to fight the threat or the escape as fast as possible.
Anger is a universal human emotion. We perceive a threat and our system responds. Adrenaline is released. Our muscles tighten. Our heart rate and blood pressure elevates. When we act out of anger, we are acting because we incorrectly perceive a threat.
Desire is also a universal feeling. When we desire something, we are dissatisfied with the status quo. Nowadays, our basic needs (food, water, shelter) are generally satisfied for most people. We don’t encounter too many existential threats on a daily basis. Therefore, our desire goes beyond survival. In a state of desire, we simply want more because we think it will bring us pleasure or satisfaction. When we act out of desire, we are acting because we incorrectly think that getting what we desire will make us happy.
Let’s examine why bad actions resulting from desire are worse than those resulting from anger. When we get angry, we go from a state of tranquility to a state of anger in a matter of seconds. Our survival mechanism is so innate that our threat response kicks in without much thought. From the time we are angry to the time we commit an action out of anger, there is very little time to stop ourselves. However, when we desire something, we generally brood on it for a long time. This is entirely different to a flash of anger. Despite the amount of time we have, we truly come to believe that we need the object of our desire. We suspend reason and become blinded by our belief for more. More food. More money. More fame. More love. We stop thinking critically. We never take a moment to ask ourselves: do I truly need this? Desire requires blindness to reason over a long period of time. Thus our actions arising from desire are much worse than those arising from a moment of anger.
Source
The content in this article is based on the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. The full text of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is available here.
