What do powerful leaders like Hitler, Stalin, Mao and others with initials like VP, DT, BN, KJU, and perhaps some of your own, have in common?

They're all decisive and action-oriented. Skilled speakers, they adapt their communications to appeal to different audiences. Visionary strategists, they plan for the long term, especially when it comes to their tribe's security. Resilient, they parry attacks with calm assurance and violent measures. Aware of the importance of networking, they forge solid relationships with similar profiles, but outside their sphere of influence.

These alpha skills, whether male or female, generate a horde of followers dumbfounded by the blows they unleash on the stranger, the different or the original, whom they blame for all their ills.

Where do they get the intense energy they need to succeed in their causes? What differentiates them from other leaders like Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Teresa and other conscious CEOs?

Like all of them, they must find their strength in breathing, food, sleep, physical activity and loving relationships... Yet they don't seem to follow the advice of experts in mindfulness, dietetics, longevity and caring relationships!

This energy comes from anger. Anger born of dramatic experience and fueled by stories of family tribulations. For years, it has matured in the depths of their guts, unable to accept the reality of their suffering. It fed on daily frustrations, arbitrary judgments, isolating superiorities and spoiled impulsivity. Like the wretch who saves every penny for a better future, they feed their malicious emotional accounts, convinced of their relevance. Rational, they use their cold intelligence in fallacious calculations. Ambitious, they use their anxiety to climb the social ladder. Surprising in their manipulative sourness, they attract other less capable frustrated people who, once recognized, unleash their shameless venom in the service of their elitist clan's survival.

The power of benevolent leaders probably emanates from the same sources. But their use of this energy differs thanks to intense personal work where, in silence, they have been able to make peace with their wounds. From this serenity, they draw the detachment, assertiveness and altruism needed to carry out actions for the good of all.

What about you? What do you do with your anger? Do you know it? Is it a soothing and powerful ally, or a brute and manipulative force?

The more I ponder these questions, the more difficult it is to answer.

How many religious struggles have used this force to motivate fratricidal killings? And how many times have I felt superior, convinced that only my spiritual path is the right one?

How many relationships intoxicate each other with this gall? And me, how many times have I blamed my loved ones for my rejected suffering?

The journey to serenity is tortuous, slow and pernicious. Fear, anger and shame are my guideposts. If I accept them, I can forgive myself and evolve. If I reject them, I enter the vicious circle of suffering!