1 Maccabees 6:28. “The King was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his friends, the commanders of his forces and those in authority.” Antiochus, known as Eupator, is the enraged king here. He's enraged because he has learned, from traitorous Jews, that Judas Maccabeus has gathered the people of Jerusalem together to besiege the enemy citadel (1 Maccabees 6:17-27).

The king was enraged, and so he sent for his friends. This is understandable, but since he is the king, his "friends", the commanders of his forces and those in authority, aren't going to try to calm him down or speak reason to him, but are instead going to do whatever he wants. This is how the echo chamber of power can become very dangerous, we see it over and over again in history, just watch the famous scene from Downfall (frequently hilariously memed).

This is a lesson for us. When we feel enraged or highly emotional, we are very likely to seek out friends. If they are true, good friends, they should try to help us calm down and see reason. But often we seek out the friends who will fan the flames of our rage or emotion, while blocking out others who we might not want to hear from in the moment. This leads us to being in our own echo chamber, which is just as dangerous and destructive to our lives and those of the people around us as Eupator’s was. After assembling his “friends”, the king ended up fighting long and hard against the Jews, with many casualties, before finally being convinced to make peace with them (1 Maccabees 6:58-60).

It is important to have friends with whom we don't always agree. Often, they are our best resources when faced with a situation that causes us rage or anxiety or other high emotion. They see the world differently, and can often offer perspective, or information, that we do not have, which can temper our emotion into something manageable, and maybe even productive.