Saturday, August 14, 2010

Hate Thy Neighbor As Thy Self

I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate them.

Booker T. Washington
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I have genuinely tried to remember the last time in my adult life that I hated someone. I have been appalled by some subhuman behavior and disgusted by the arrogance of the selfish and self important. But hatred is not an emotion that has lived in me. I am certain to forgive wrongs done to me and to bear harsh criticism not with a smile but with a patient hurt.

There was a young woman in New York who took to hating me because I corrected her work. It was my job to correct her work and I didn't do it harshly or with an angry or insulting tone. But for some reason she could not bear to be corrected by me. The 5 or 6 times I saw her after that she would sit straight up on the edge of her chair and glare at me like a wild beast reedy to strike. We never once spoke to each other. I don't think about her and it doesn't matter what she thinks of me, but she carries with her a threat which controls at least a part of her life.

Lately I've been noticing with alarm the teeth gnashing venom that comes from some parts of this country against other parts. I see and hear bald hatred against our president, our government, our nation, our constitution. People are hissing hatred against minorities, against blacks, Latinos, Mexicans. So-called Christians are spreading hatred of Islam. Some Conservatives are spreading hatred of the Democrats and Liberals. Some people actually want to change the Constitution in order to exclude other people. Some people's lives are controlled by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia. Some people are grouping to prevent the happiness of same sex marriages and saying that "God hates fags" thereby lending their own hatred to a God who is incapable of hate.

It isn't just a matter of difference of opinion, nor is it a matter of scriptural authority whatever passage they may find to quote, it's a matter of insanity. People who quote the Constitition on Monday to support their own prejudice will try to rewrite the Constitution on Tuesday because it doesn't fit with their prejudice. Racism is rampant. One religion wants to dominate the country and tries to cite nonexistent reasons for it. Rational adult thinking has been left in the dust.

Road rage is alive and well. Some people will not put up with giving anyone else the same space they demand for themselves. Selfishness and a false sense of entitlement fill the sidewalks, streets and neighborhoods. There are guard dogs and attack dogs alive to protect the nasty people from the nice people.

There are good people in the world. People who will wait for you if you are trying to turn a corner, who will let you get in front of them in a supermarket line if you only have one or two things to purchase, who will let you know if you accidentally drop something and who will let you have your own opinions without yelling at you and shouting about how stupid you are.

I'm grateful I live in a neighborhood of good people. If you're a some-of-a-bitch don't come here. You won't be hated, but you won't be welcome unless you shape up and join the rest of us adults.

DB - The Vagabond
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Weekend Puzzle

Sci Fi Story

(an easy one)

A man gets on a bus in Boston at 1:45 and travels for half an hour.
When he gets off the bus it's 1:15

DB

8 comments:

Ally Lifewithally said...

A very well thought out entry ~ made me think ~ Ally x

Rose said...

We have too much hatred in this world! Sad.......there is too much to love and enjoy for people to walk around being mean to others.

Hugs, Rose

Valerie said...

It takes alot of energy to hate. And it ruins your day, too. What a nice entry. Thank you for posting this. Val =) xox

Arlene (AJ) said...

What a difference showing some kindness to someone could make in our world....wish more people would make the effort. What a great read DB. Thanks.

Ken Riches said...

It absolutely is draining to hate, I much prefer to be optimistic and to exercise my smile muscles.

pacifica62 said...

I have to ask myself what it is that these people fear so much that they have to hate. What are they afraid of? Behind hatred often lies pain and the unwillingness to forgive. Do I hate in others something that I see (and do not like) in myself? Hatred means using every ounce of my consciousness and energy 24 hours a day and 7 days a week in a negative way. How much nicer to spend time being kind and compassionate and trying to understand the people and the world around me. One thing I know for sure is that children do not grow up knowing how to hate.........it is taught to them by the adults in their life.

Stan in NH said...

The 1:45 must have been on a day we set our clocks back. Then in 15 minutes, it would be 1:00 and 15 minutes later, it would be 1:15 and he would only have traveled for a half hour.

Now to the hate thing! Bravo. You are so right. It seems as though it is now fashionable for people to be intolerant of anything different. I think it's because of our lack of education. Our failed system leaves our people with the academic prowess of a middle schooler (if that). Like all middle schoolers, we want to belong and feel the need to bully others, so they can't see how we are different. Then we can gain acceptance by pushing out others.

It is very sad indeed. We need to do something about it.
...and quickly.

Myra said...

Hate is such a strong word. I don't use it. I don't care for tomatoes, but I don't hate them!