Jul 5, 20070
On Anger Being Personal
One of the memorable lines on the fear of personal anger comes from Michael Crichton’s novel Sphere. After the alien lifeform (Jerry) expressed “I AM HAPPY” on the terminal screen, the discussion (in the movie version) continues:
Harry: “Well Norman, don’t you want Jerry to be happy?”
Norman: “Honestly?”
Barnes: “Yeah, what’s on your mind?”
Norman: “I would be happy if Jerry had no emotions whatsoever. Because the thing of it is, once you go down that road, here’s Jerry, an emitional being who has been alone for 300 years with no one to talk to. None of the socialization, the emotional growth that comes from contact with other emotional beings.”
Harry: “So”
Norman: “What happens if Jerry gets mad?”