Hate is never the answer
Hatred is a wasteful, ugly, primordial, and frankly useless emotion. To quote Yoda – “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”
Hate is defined, according to dictionary.com as thus:
hate
verb (used with object)
1. to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility
toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.
2.to be unwilling; dislike: I hate to do it.
verb (used without object)
3. to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility.
noun
4. intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility.
5.the object of extreme aversion or hostility.
Why do I bring this up? Because a lot of people are currently feeling sadness, and sympathy following the recent tragedy in CT. People are currently grieving. But the next step will be blame. And with blame, hatred will be sparked.
Yoda’s quote explains the why of this. It begins as we fear suffering a similar fate. What if I have to choose my life over a child’s life? Fear leads to anger. How can this happen? How can we allow this madness? How can we change the law and make someone responsible for this? Anger leads to hate. Those bastards want to take away my guns. Those bastards won’t do more to regulate the guns. Hate leads to suffering. I can’t sleep at night. I can’t feel happy living in this terrible, violent world. I cannot cope anymore.
Look at the Westboro Baptist Church. They spew hatred and anger and bile and for what? Does it make anyone happy to see them protesting a funeral? Do they do anything to better anyone’s lives? Does their hatred promote anything but the suffering of the bereaved?
I don’t care what religion or form of spirituality you ascribe to or not. The initial message of all of the prophets, all the seers, all the wise ones, is the same. Love one another. Love is true power. Love yourself. Love those around you.
Love is the antithesis of hate. Dictionary.com defines it as such:
love
noun
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2.a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child,
or friend
3.sexual passion or desire.
4.a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5.(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like
to see a movie, love?
verb (used with object)
15. to have love or affection for: All her pupils love her.
16.to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).
17.to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in: to love music.
18.to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
19.to embrace and kiss (someone), as a lover.
John Lennon told us “All you need is love. Love is all you need.” Jesus, Buddha and every other seer and prophet told us to love one another. Love builds trust, founds relationships, and makes the world a better place.
Hate, on the other hand, destroys, and brings about suffering. Hate is not the answer.
Do you think anyone who feels loved is going to commit such atrocious crimes? Even if these people are loved by someone, do you think it is their inability to feel that love that might be part of what causes such despicable, unspeakable acts?
This is so deeply simple – and yet wrapped up in possibly the most complicated, multi-faceted emotion there is. And it is that complexity that causes us to sometimes find turning to hate easier than looking to love.
When the grieving is over, rather than casting the blame, looking to the next quick-fix law our government can fight about, or getting angry about the how of this – let’s look to our loved ones. Let’s look to the people in our lives, and think instead about spreading love so that no one ever winds up in such a dark place.
Mental-health begins with each of us. Let’s think about that, and consider the big picture.
Let the love we feel for the innocent victims grow outward, before it can be overwhelmed by negative emotions.
Hookey-spookey, crunchy-hippy? Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean it is not something to think about.
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