Rage, rage...

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas

It is widely believed that when Y was born, he had his fists clenched, as if he was ready to punch the first face he saw. Instead of crying like other mediocre infants do, he had a look of unqualified contempt on his face, like he was terribly dissatisfied with the world he had been sent to. In a fit of rage, baby Y scratched the face of the first nurse he could get hold of. Its been years since he arrived on this planet, but the rage doesn't leave him. He keeps wanting to bludgeon to death any of the many people he hates.

Not that rage is all bad. The internet talks about the positive effects of this habit.

'Rage can sometimes lead to a state of mind where the individual experiencing it believes, and often is capable of doing things that may normally seem physically impossible (angry guys lift heavier weights in the gym). Those experiencing rage usually feel the effects of high adrenaline levels in the body. This increase in adrenal output raises the physical strength and endurance levels of the person and sharpens their senses, while dulling the sensation of pain. Temporal perspective is also affected: people in a rage have described experiencing events in slow-motion (so next time you are watching a cricket match live and you want to savor its every moment, please get yourself really pissed). An explanation of this "time dilation" effect is that instead of actually slowing our perception of time, high levels of adrenaline increase our ability to recall specific minutiae of an event after it occurs (be violently angry when you are preparing for your exam - you will be able to recall every word of what you read). Since humans gauge time based on the amount of things they can remember, high-adrenaline events such as those experienced during periods of rage seem to unfold more slowly.'

More research reveals that Y is most probably a practitioner of narcissistic rage.

'Narcissistic rage is a reaction to narcissistic injury, a perceived threat to a narcissist’s self-esteem or self-worth. It occurs on a continuum from instances of aloofness, and expression of mild irritation or annoyance, to serious outbursts, including violent attacks. It has also been suggested that narcissists have two layers of rage. The first layer of rage can be thought of as a constant anger (towards someone else), and the second layer being a self-aimed wrath.'

As narcissistic people are dependent on other people to boost their self-esteem, any challenge, negative remark or disagreement from other people can be considered to be criticism, rejection and mockery. They take it as a personal assault and lash out at the person who provoked them. This can cause physical as well as psychological harm to the other person. One can only imagine what lies in store for those who dare to dislike this blog!

With such rockstaresque side-effects, it makes fashionable sense to be a narcissist.

So go ahead...rage.