An MC once said, “If you get angry on stage, you lose. The moment you lose your cool, the blade of your words will stab you.” A monk once said, “Anger is like the wind. If you let it go, it will pass, but if you hold it, it will become fire.” And a golfer swung his driver in frustration, and the ball mercilessly disappeared into the out-of-bounds zone. Anger is a momentary emotion, but the consequences it brings are lasting. Hip-hop, Buddhism, golf – all of these are cultures that ask how to face “emotional turmoil.” And there is an unexpected commonality between them.
Emotional outbursts destroy the beat and the score
In the world of MC battles, anger is often a weapon, but at the same time, it can also be poison. If you don’t maintain calm control when choosing strong words to excite the audience, the verse will fall apart and the flow will stop. “It’s easy to get angry, but if you can’t turn your anger into a ‘resonance,’ it just becomes noise.” These are the words of a certain freestyler. This “sublimation of anger” is also an extremely practical challenge in golf. If you drag your emotions over a failed swing, you won’t be able to concentrate on your next shot. The result is successive mistakes and a worsening score – in other words, anger brings about OB.
The nature of anger and how to deal with it, as taught in Buddhism
In Buddhism, anger (han’a) is considered one of the “three poisons.” Greed (ton) = desire, anger (jin) = anger, and ignorance (chi) = ignorance. These three worldly desires are said to be the causes of human suffering. Monks do not try to “eliminate” anger. They observe it, keep their distance, and treat it as something that will pass. This is a mature idea of emotion management that does not forcefully suppress it. “Do not deny the anger, just look at it. Then, before you know it, it will have disappeared.” This is a basic way of dealing with the mind in Buddhist meditation practice, and is also the source of mindfulness.
Golf as a "mirror of emotions"
Golf is one of the sports that most easily reveals the inner side of a person. Anyone can get frustrated if they make a series of bad shots. Anger can lead to further disruptions in situations where they could have corrected their mistakes if they had remained calm. On the green, emotions are directly linked to the score. Even among professional golfers, “mental muscle training” is considered a top priority, and many players incorporate Zen, breathing techniques, and mindfulness into their game. In other words, Buddhist thinking and golf have already intersected.
Anger can be useful, but if not controlled, it can become a blade.
Anger itself is not evil. Rather, in hip-hop, anger often becomes a source of energy, a reaction to oppression or a protest against injustice. In golf, frustration can also increase concentration. However, this is meaningless unless the anger is consciously managed. Buddhism teaches that in order to turn anger into wisdom, distanced introspection is necessary. Both MCs and golfers need to turn their emotions into tools rather than being consumed by them.
The lesson here is that "anger brings about OB"
Whether it’s an MC battle, a putt on the 18th hole, or words in relationships – anger is always right beside us. But those who can take that moment to “pause” are the ones who win. In the end, anger is like a demon lurking in the OB zone. It’s invisible, but it certainly exists. And it’s always “another self within myself” that calls it out. Hip hop, Buddhism, and golf teach us this.