Hate is A Very Strong Word

 Such a small word, but one that has a definition that leaves no doubt to the user’s intent. It is used so freely, and most times without thought to its impact. If one thought before using it, I wonder if they still would. 

We are not born with hate in our hearts, but with the capacity for love and joy. Yet there are those who teach their children to hate from the time they are born; to hate someone for their religious or political beliefs, or because they look different than they do. Each generation being taught this hatred even if they don't understand why or how it even started so long ago. And there are always those who want to exploit that hatred and push it to the point where people lash out at one another. The instigators and rabble rousers who create explosive environments. 

I accept that not everyone will have the same beliefs I have and not everyone will look like me. It would be a very bland and boring world if that were the case. However, I also believe that it is not my job to try and make everyone think as I do, and I don't want others to try and change me. We need to be tolerant of one another and realize that there is usually more common ground than not. 

As a child I may have said I hated someone in the throes of childish anger, but in reality, I can't say that I hate anyone. My opinions of people are based on who they are as a person. Are they kind to others, do they strive to work hard and contribute to society, and are they compassionate and tolerant of those unlike them? If they are perpetuating hatred, then they will not be someone I want to be around and will avoid. I have that choice not to engage with them.

We cannot remove the word hate from our dictionaries or from society as it has been there for too long. We can dream of a world without it, and of a world where parents teach their children to be tolerant of others. Imagine what this world would look like - if we all could imagine it then perhaps it would eventually be possible.