It’s hard to know exactly how angry or non-angry you were when you were younger. People tend to remember events rather than emotions, and most of them don’t have reliable graphs of their angritude that go back for decades.

Nonetheless, I’m pretty sure I’m less angry now than I was between the ages of 13 and 24. I know I got angry somewhat regularly during that era because anger often registered at the conscious level, and I remember enjoying the experience of becoming angry. For quite a while, I’ve felt rather relaxed, perhaps more relaxed than average, and maybe a bit more relaxed than is beneficial.

A couple hours ago at the bus stop, however, I was not relaxed at all. I had this intense spike of anger. I don’t think I’ve felt that enraged in years. Why? Because the bus drove right past the bus stop at which I was waiting. So, I ran and caught up to it at the next stoplight, and the driver would not let me on.

Now, that is certainly bullshit, but in that moment, the thought that exploded in my head as I was, “YOU FUCKS! I’LL DESTROY YOUR ENTIRE SYSTEM WITH HATRED!” And I didn’t even know what I meant.

I walked back to the bus stop, incensed, called the MBTA to report the bus, and smoldered some more. Two things cooled me down:

1. I overheard a guy with dreadlocks use the line “I feel like you’re a magnetic person…” on some girl.
2. I thought of Piplup.

(For a while, I had some time on my hands and browsed through quite a bit of Bulbapedia. It can be engrossing!) Piplup’s color text reads:

A poor walker, it often falls down. However, its strong pride makes it puff up its chest without a care.

Piplup may eventually “evolve” into Prinplup, who is described as such:

It lives alone, away from others. Apparently, every one of them believes it is the most important.

After reading this, Katt and I have speculated about him. We imagine he’s impatient, selfish, and easy to anger. He’s probably indignant about having to wait in lines. He often yells at waitstaff. He explodes when roommates use his peanut butter that he, Piplup, bought with his money. Piplup, Piplup, Piplup!

Anyway, my thoughts drifted to how this Piplup would react to such an event: Most likely with an indignant explosion of rage. This realization was quite diffusing. I was forced to let it go.

I most certainly believe in the value of righteous anger and the importance of sticking up for one’s self. When the bus skips your stop, though, it’s useful to think: Are you reacting like an inconvenienced traveler or a self-important magic penguin?