I Want To Write My Random Thoughts And Feelings
Hatred is the most common thing that people seem to rally and unite against. And hatred is also the most common thing that people from all sides adopt whenever the circumstances seem to justify it. Funny how that works.
You have liberals condemning hate in the form of intolerance, and you have conservatives condemning hate in the form of leftist political violence. But both sides are equally guilty of adopting self-righteous hatred when it comes to demonising the "other side" - the so-called inferior side. Even if you think it's appropriate or morally justified, hatred is still hatred. And it still has the same basic effects: that of division and separation.
I will say that abstaining from hatred is perhaps the hardest virtue to acquire, because it's so easy for us to get riled up by the inequities and inadequacies of the world. And it's easy for us to succumb to and settle with our initial reactions, and to hold ourselves captive to them - especially when they feel so normal and natural.
But the best kept secret about hatred is that it's been used as a political tool for thousands of years. It's an emotional technology that makes people easier to control, easier to manipulate; it shuts down common sense and rationality, and it certainly destroys our ability to connect with others and to understand them.
You have to wonder why hatred is never unilaterally discouraged or disavowed. It seems there's always something that's worthy of our disdain. Whether it's another country, another person, or another group. For some of us, it seems, hatred is absolutely necessary and normal - the only reasonable thing to do. For the more disillusioned and sensible, hatred is a silly waste of time (and energy). And for people in high places and positions of power, it's extremely useful and advantageous - particularly if it can be stoked up like a raging inferno.
It's interesting how multi-faceted hatred is in our world, and the glaring hypocrisy that passes for righteousness and decorum.
You have liberals condemning hate in the form of intolerance, and you have conservatives condemning hate in the form of leftist political violence. But both sides are equally guilty of adopting self-righteous hatred when it comes to demonising the "other side" - the so-called inferior side. Even if you think it's appropriate or morally justified, hatred is still hatred. And it still has the same basic effects: that of division and separation.
I will say that abstaining from hatred is perhaps the hardest virtue to acquire, because it's so easy for us to get riled up by the inequities and inadequacies of the world. And it's easy for us to succumb to and settle with our initial reactions, and to hold ourselves captive to them - especially when they feel so normal and natural.
But the best kept secret about hatred is that it's been used as a political tool for thousands of years. It's an emotional technology that makes people easier to control, easier to manipulate; it shuts down common sense and rationality, and it certainly destroys our ability to connect with others and to understand them.
You have to wonder why hatred is never unilaterally discouraged or disavowed. It seems there's always something that's worthy of our disdain. Whether it's another country, another person, or another group. For some of us, it seems, hatred is absolutely necessary and normal - the only reasonable thing to do. For the more disillusioned and sensible, hatred is a silly waste of time (and energy). And for people in high places and positions of power, it's extremely useful and advantageous - particularly if it can be stoked up like a raging inferno.
It's interesting how multi-faceted hatred is in our world, and the glaring hypocrisy that passes for righteousness and decorum.
26-30, M
