Noun: bitter indignation at having been mistreated.

When faced with obstacles that prevent us from achieving our goals, anger often arises. If we perceive this interference as a personal attack on our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is natural to become upset. This response to goal frustration is common, but what follows when we walk away and nurture feelings of anger and revenge is resentment. Resentment is a challenging emotion to deal with, not only for the person experiencing it but also for those around them.

Although we have come a long way from our primitive instincts when violence was a common response to resentment, we still encounter situations that evoke these more primal emotions. Sometimes, our resentments overpower us.

Removing ourselves from a primitive state is not an easy task; it requires conscious effort. Our evolutionary history predisposes us to react in ways that reflect our time spent in the wilderness.

One approach that can improve our ability to control our emotions, including resentment, is to acknowledge our inclination towards violence. Our society is plagued by violence, and it is time to stop denying this reality. We are violent towards ourselves, towards others, and towards the planet. Have you ever paid attention to your internal dialogue? While you may not act on every violent impulse or thought you have, much of what goes on in your mind can be violent. Have you watched the news recently? It bombards us with stories of destruction, shootouts, and wars. The consequences of our violence towards the planet are evident in the plight of emaciated polar bears and seagulls consuming fast food.

Just last week, there was a shooting at YouTube. According to news reports, the female shooter was enraged. CNN Wire stated, "The woman's grievances against YouTube appeared to focus on censorship and revenue." Driven by her resentment, she took her pistol, drove to YouTube headquarters, and opened fire on people she didn't even know, injuring three and killing one before ultimately taking her own life. Despite her parents' awareness of her resentment towards YouTube, they had no knowledge of her violent intentions and notified the police to no avail.

Interestingly, news reports revealed that she was a vegan. This detail highlights how resentment can blind us to our own values. On one of her social media pages, she wrote, "Animal rights are human rights." She refused to eat a chicken wing, yet she was willing to shoot and kill people due to her resentment. Equipped with our primal instincts and the ability to purchase a firearm, she exacted vengeance on others before ending her own life. We may never fully understand her motivations for committing such a heinous act, but resentment undoubtedly played a significant role.

In a previous mass shooting, it was initially assumed that the shooter's motive was rooted in gender bias. As Jane Coaston writes in her article about the Pulse nightclub shooting, "After a mass shooting, observers, including journalists, often search for a motive, sometimes even before the first victims have been identified. But the Pulse shooting proves that initial narratives about mass shooters' motivations are often wrong — and those narratives can be far more powerful than the truth." Human behavior is driven by numerous factors.

Recognizing that our resentments can lead to violence and irreparable damage to our relationships, I implore you to exercise self-control. Let us prioritize anger management and impulse control. It is essential to maintain mental hygiene. I suggest that we acknowledge the destructive power within us to combat gun violence effectively. We all bear personal responsibility for our thoughts and emotions. Resentment corrodes us from within; it destroys us. As the old saying goes, "it's like peeing down your own leg and expecting someone else to feel it."

When you feel angry, reach out to someone and communicate your feelings to better manage them and prevent resentment from taking hold. Avoid resorting to permanent solutions for temporary problems. Stay calm. If you own a firearm, use it responsibly, such as for duck hunting. Above all, anticipate that anger will arise in the future and develop a plan to safeguard yourself and others from any violent tendencies that may surface. Only you can help prevent gun violence.