Anger's not a good emotion.

Opening Scene
The room is quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the evening light that filters through the window. The fading sunset casts long shadows across the floor, the world outside slowly shifting from light to dark. Jeeny sits at the edge of the couch, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of her coffee cup. Jack is standing by the window, his arms crossed, looking out at the quiet street below. The stillness between them speaks volumes — something unspoken lingers in the air, heavy and unresolved. The words from Lincoln Chafee, about anger not being a good emotion, hang in the space between them like a soft reminder.

Host: The quiet of the room feels like a weight. The tension is palpable, though unspoken. Jeeny takes a deep breath, setting her coffee aside, her gaze turning toward Jack, as if she’s finally ready to share the thought that’s been on her mind. She speaks, her voice soft but steady, cutting through the silence that has built up between them.

Jeeny:
(softly, but with intention)
“You know, Lincoln Chafee said that anger isn’t a good emotion. He was right, I think. When we’re angry, we can get so consumed by it that we lose sight of everything else. We forget how to think clearly, how to move forward. It’s like everything gets blurred, and it becomes harder to see past the emotion itself.”

Jack:
(leaning against the window frame, his voice low and thoughtful)
“Yeah, but it’s not that simple, right? Anger is natural. It’s a reaction to something we don’t like, something that doesn’t sit well with us. It can feel like the only way to release everything that’s building up inside. But I get it, Jeeny. When we hold onto it, when we let it control us, it doesn’t solve anything. It just festers.”

Host: The room feels heavy now, as if the conversation has uncovered something deeper — the quiet truth about the power of anger, and how it can shape and distort our reactions. Jeeny watches Jack, her expression soft, as though the words are becoming clearer between them. The gentle glow of the fading sunlight seems to emphasize the weight of what they’re discussing.

Jeeny:
(softly, with quiet understanding)
“I think the problem is that when we’re angry, it’s easy to forget that it’s temporary. Anger feels like it needs to be acted on, like it demands something. But it’s not really who we are. We’re not defined by that emotion, no matter how powerful it feels in the moment. I guess the challenge is to recognize it without letting it define us. Without letting it control what we do next.”

Jack:
(nods, his expression more reflective now)
“That’s the hard part. Anger is so immediate, so raw. It’s not something you can just turn off. It’s something you feel deep inside, and it demands attention. But maybe the trick is not to act on it impulsively. Maybe it’s about taking a step back, letting it settle, and then figuring out what’s really worth reacting to.”

Host: There’s a shift in the air between them now, a quiet understanding beginning to form. The room feels warmer, more open, as if the conversation is shedding light on something that was once a shadow. Jeeny and Jack sit in the stillness, allowing the conversation to flow between them without urgency, as though they’re both coming to terms with the reality that anger doesn’t have to dictate how they live, how they respond to challenges, or how they move forward.

Jeeny:
(gently, with a small, understanding smile)
“Maybe it’s about choosing our response. About taking a moment to breathe, to reflect before we let our emotions control us. Anger isn’t inherently bad — it’s how we react to it that matters. When we can sit with it, understand why it’s there, we stop letting it control us. We choose how we want to move forward.”

Jack:
(softly, his expression more at ease now)
“Yeah. It’s not about denying our emotions, but about recognizing that they don’t have to dictate everything. We can feel anger, but we don’t have to act on it. We can let it be there without letting it take over.”

Host: The quiet between them now feels less like a weight and more like a space of understanding, as though the conversation has created a small moment of peace. The sunset outside fades into the twilight, and the room is bathed in a soft, peaceful darkness. In that space, Jeeny and Jack have found something important — the ability to understand anger, to accept it without letting it control their actions, without letting it shape their lives in ways that don’t serve them. They’ve found the peace that comes with knowing that they are not their emotions; they are the choices they make in response to them.

Jeeny:
(quietly, with a sense of relief)
“Maybe it’s about balance, isn’t it? Acknowledging our anger, but not letting it define us. Finding peace even when it’s hard.”

Jack:
(nods, smiling softly)
“Yeah. It’s about being present with our emotions, but not being controlled by them.”

Host: The night settles around them, and in the quiet peace of the room, Jeeny and Jack sit together, understanding that the real strength lies not in the absence of anger, but in the ability to face it, let it pass, and move forward with intention and calm. The world outside continues, but inside, there’s a quiet sense of clarity and peace that comes from understanding that anger is not a force to be feared, but one to be understood and managed.