meditation practice is that it helps us to recognize these choices, and to disembark from the runaway freight train of thought and emotions that seem to be controlling us.

    The truth is, no matter how much justification we have for being angry and depressed, for feeling victimized, and betrayed, none of these thoughts and emotions will ever bring us closer to happiness.

    But Love will.

    In 1973, when I first met Ram Dass I asked, “Ram Dass, what was the most difficult teaching your guru, Neem Karoli Baba, gave you?”

    He closed his eyes and became very quiet. Then he spoke.

    “He kept telling me to give up anger. There was never any leeway in his teaching. He just kept saying it over and over and over. It became like a mantra. He just kept saying, ‘Ram Dass, give up anger!’ If he thought I hadn’t gotten that, he’d say, ‘Ram

Dass...Never put another human being out of your heart.’”

    Since the 1970s, many psychologists in our culture have focused on helping people to “get in touch with their anger,” because, as a culture, we came to understand the negative physical and psychological effects of repressed anger. In other words, we began to realize that suppressed, unrecognized anger — at its extreme — can kill us. What we didn’t realize — and still don’t fully recognize — is that expressing anger can make us and everyone around us miserable. At its extreme can also kill us.

    Our culture has become very skilled at recognizing and expressing anger, but not very skilled at overcoming it. It sometimes seems like everywhere we look we see people being caustic, cutting, abusive, and abrasive. Comedians, politicians, political commentators, cable news reporters, radio talk show hosts,