"Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater." -George Washington Carver, American Botanical Researcher and Educator, George Washington Carver books//
Fear always seems to be at the root of hate; and, loathing of others is oftentimes a reflection of disgust with something about one's self. I hate you because you're a different color, religion, political persuasion, sexual orientation or national origin than me. I loatheyou because your attitude, values, choices, demeanor or work ethic are different from mine.
Hating others for external differences, and loathing others for internal variations, is at the center of conflict among men, women and nations. Ethnic wars, civil clashes and segregation have all been born from hate, and our world becomes further divided along class lines each year, fueling the the fires of contempt between the haves and have nots.
Let's simplify things to get a better understanding of the root causes. I hate you because you look or act different from me, and I've always been taught that my way is the right way. I loathe you because you think differently, or believe in different things, than me, and I know that my beliefs are divine or superior.
Have we gone far enough? I think not. I hate you because I'm afraid that if I accept our differences, then the people in my life will reject me. I loathe you because I'm afraid that if you're right and I'm wrong, then the foundation of my beliefs will begin to crumble.
Far enough yet? Not quite. I hate you because you're different from me, and I'm afraid that you won't accept me for who I am. I loathe you because you're beliefs are different from mine, and I'm afraid that the world won't make sense if my beliefs are wrong.
Now, we've gone far enough. The root causes of hate and loathing are the fears of not being accepted and of chaos in one's life. These fears often drive people to do horrible things to one another, in hopes that by eliminating the object of a person's fear it will go away. Instead, the fear only gets worse, as every action validates the negative feelings of fear inside one's self. In the extreme, this fear has driven people to genocide; to a lesser extent, it has destroyed marriages, family relations and friendships.
If you find yourself hating someone, or something about a person, ask yourself what you are afraid of with regard to that person; then, eliminate the fear within you, and you will erradicate the hate of others. Indulge the fear within you, and the hate will persist forever. Ultimately, the hate will destroy the hater, not the object.
Don't be a hater!
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4 comments:
Jeremy,
I love the whole layout, presentation and theme of your blog...
I especially liked today's post...
I've been a praticing Buddhist for over 12 years now, and even though I try and live my life the very best way I know how and to accept people for who and what they are in a peaceful way, I'm afraid the rest of the word has a very long way to go before we all achieve nirvana...
Very well done post...
Peace and white light,
Nick
Thanks Nick! I appreciate the kind words. I'm hopeful that as long as people are willing to confront their fears, they can erradicate them. If we can remove fear, especially from one another, then a lot of problems in the world could be solved. Take care!
Why 'hate' anything at all?
I suspect that someone who is an 'angry being' will not be swayed by reason. 'Hating' forbids examining what is at its root. I'm afraid it's one of the facts of nature that we live our lives among lovers and haters.
I thought it was lovers or fighters:)? Thanks for the comment, and I agree that hate has become far too engrained in society. Personally, I feel like it is learned or inherited, as opposed to a natural fact. If so, then even though it is very difficult to do so (see previous post about the difficulty of unlearning), it's possible to change.
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