Do You Understand HOW and WHY people HATE? (An Opinion Piece)

I live in the United States of America, and even though I love my country, I KNOW we're not perfect. Far from it! We have problems; especially with hatred. And if I am to believe the reports I hear on the news about world events and affairs, America is not the only country in the world that has this problem.

Do you understand HATRED? Did you know there is a SCIENCE OF HATRED?

You can find very interesting reading on this topic.

Mind & Brain: The Origin of Hatred | Scientific American

The Science of Hatred | The Chronicle of Higher Education

Why People Hate: The Science Behind Why We Love to Hate | Science of People

How Hate Works | HowStuffWorks

I suspect that it's not so complicated to understand the HOW and the WHY of HATRED. When it boils down to it, there are usually only two reasons why people HATE.

REASON ONE: For some, they are taught how to HATE and they learn it well. They never question why because in the process of indoctrination, their teachers give them all of the “important reasons” why they “required” or “obligated” to hate for all of their entire lives. If they don't, it's a betrayal to all of those who are in the “non-hated group” that they come from. So they become the best student in the class and then go around looking for others that they can teach the life lessons that they were taught. The vicious cycle continues.

Who is in the “hated group”? Uuhh ... Oh! It could be almost anybody! In today's world, at least in the USA, some of the “hated groups” {and the reasons why it's right to hate them and maintain division and strife} include:

• homosexuals or LGBTQ {because they're not normal and surely God must hate them},

• Asians (especially the Chinese) {because they caused the coronavirus},

• Muslims {because they are all terrorists},

• Jews {because Hitler's 'righteous' dream of annihilation should be fulfilled},

• Italians {because they are all gangsters and they flooded our streets with illegal drugs and that's why so many Americans are drug addicts},

• black people {because somewhere in the Bible it says there are supposed to be slaves or servants to the white people},

• people who work in abortion clinics {because they kill innocent babies},

Etc., etc., etc.

Perhaps you know of other “hated groups” where you live. Perhaps you are in one of those “hated groups” and you hate those who hate you. On and on and on ...

REASON TWO: For other people, there was some egregious event occurred in their lives (either to them or to someone they cared about) that caused an offense. They were wounded (physically or emotionally or both) and they HATE the people who offended them or anyone else who is linked or associated with them, even if those people may have had nothing to do with the HATEFUL OFFENSE. They BLAME them and THINK they should be punished for what happened. They live their life being motivated by the burning desire to get revenge or what they believe is justice. They count the offender and those associated with them as The Enemy and justify their way of thinking about them. In other words, in their mind, they convince themselves that it is RIGHT and it is THEIR RIGHT TO HATE them.

However, nobody is ever born into this world HATING.OTHER HUMAN BEINGS. But according to the articles mentioned above there is actually a SCIENCE behind this human emotion. Well! I suppose there is a science to everything that exist in this world ~ human or non-human. I suppose there is a scientific way to explain how we feel and what makes us HATE.

One would think if there is a science, especially a medical science that can explain the HOW and WHY, then logically there must be a science to explain the CURE, a HOW NOT TO and a WHY NOT TO. We all know that the only cure for hate is LOVE. An act of love may not stop the hater from hating. But it will save you and protect your heart and mind from becoming corrupted and filled with this powerfully insidious emotion. Maybe you can not stop others from hating. But you can stop yourself! After all, the only one who can control your attitude, your behavior, your actions … is YOU! And if you don't hate, then … that's one less hater in the world.

The ministry of Jesus Christ lasted for about 3 years. His disciples accepted and followed many of His teachings. But there is one radical teaching, a 3 word statement which many of the faithful find the most difficult to obey and put into action. Jesus taught: Love your enemy.

WHAT??? Is that even doable?

Christian or not, do you think you could ever love your enemy?

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you.