“What’s wrong with the world, Momma? People livin’ like they ain’t got no momma’s.”
A little over halfway through the year and we’ve already witness numerous unspeakable atrocities around the world. Violence, hate crimes and mass manslaughters have punctured their way into our veins like a needle laced with the most dangerous of narcotic combinations. Our world has begun to crumble, leaving so many of us searching for explanations or justification for unethical, inhumane actions. The truth is there is no explanation. You can’t justify hate. You can study research, conduct experiments and even put compile equations but hate is a feeling that can never be explained.
I’ve always found myself as more of the Aaron Burr type. One to “talk less” and “smile more,” being careful not to let anyone know, “What [I’m] against or what [I’m] for,” ("Hamilton" reference). Getting ahead is everyone’s goal and the chances of surviving seems to increase when your voice remains silent. If you stay quiet, then you can move through a crowd and get from point A to point B without much problem. However, with all the suffering, pain, and hate being spread I feel compelled to write a response.
I have trouble expressing my feelings verbally. I get tongue tied easily and miss speak quite often, but I find comfort in my writings. By placing my thoughts on to the page my quick emotional responses are able to be edited and revised until they are conveyed in the way I feel them (well, at least closer to the truth. Sometimes it won’t ever come out right). So bear with me if you like as attempt to rationalize illogical circumstances.
Hate makes little sense. Then again so does love. Both emotions are often unexplainable, yet we all know when they are present. They stand at opposite ends of a spectrum. The former burning bright red while the latter radiates a deep violet. The path to each can take time or can warp time itself reaching the end of the spectrum in a flash. So if the paths to both take equal amounts of time, then why are so quick to hate and so slow to love?
Does it come from fear? A fear of unreturned or incomplete love? Or fear of the other person’s hate for you? It’s just easier to hate. Why make it hard on ourselves to love one another? We want our lives to be easy. We don’t want to put forth the effort it takes to love. Love is complicated, right? At least, loving someone the right way is because love takes forgiveness. We must be able to forgive others for their faults. Love them despite those same faults as well.
Maybe we hate because of conflicting ideals? Why waste time hearing the other person out when they don’t agree with you? Just hate them for it. The effort it takes to set aside personal opinion for a few moments is too much of a hassle. You’re perfect in your opinion. So why should we bother? Wait, you’re not perfect? Your opinion isn’t fact? Well, I’ll be damned, then maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to hate someone for disagreeing.
Hate and love emerge at the same rate. They are emotions that can be felt, examined and conveyed in equivalent intervals. Be that as it may, they are not comparable in effort. To love someone takes more effort than to hate them. We must forgive, trust and believe in someone to love them. We have to open our minds up to new thinking patterns and beliefs, while also holding on to our own values.
We hate because we are lazy. We don’t want to challenge our own thoughts and feelings. We have grown complacent with our selfish mentalities. Everything is “me and you” rather than “you and me.” (Did you think it was a coincidence that the other person comes first grammatically?)
It’s time for us to get up off our butts and realize we are all connected. We are all members of the human race. Hating someone won’t change that fact. Killing someone out of hate won’t solve anything, saving someone out of love will. Love is the most powerful gift a person can give. If we all gave a little bit, then we could make a profound difference.
