Hear Me Out
Before you get angry, hear me out—
We hate conservatives. We hate liberals. We hate black people. We hate white people. We hate vegans. We hate hunters. We hate gays. We hate straight people. We hate women. We hate men. We hate police. We hate millennials. We hate the president. We hate protestors. We hate God. We hate religion. We hate immigrants. We hate rich people. We hate poor people. The list goes on and on. We just hate!
We have no problem stating that we are open minded and accepting of others who are different from us, especially on social media. But are we really? Do we really stand by our words and practice what we preach? Based on what I see and hear—NO.
I know using the word ‘hate’ seems callous and harsh, but the reality is that our opposition and disregard is often times so strong that it leads to hate.
So, why then do we hate? Maybe because it’s easy and requires zero effort. Maybe it’s media influences that constantly bombard and brainwash us. Maybe it’s the result of learned behavior. Maybe it’s because we have allowed political parties to divide us. Doesn’t this all sound silly?
We have learned to hate so much that we’ve neglected love. What ever happened to love one another? Love thy neighbor? Love yourself? All the phrases that sound so nice and simple—yet don’t exist in our current world. Folks, it’s sad. It really is.
To love is hard. We know this. Love takes effort. Love requires commitment. Love is understanding. Love is respect. Love is compassion. Love is empathy. Love is kindness. Love is humility. We lack all of these things when we hate. When is the last time you told someone that you loved how they were different than you? Or loved that they had a different perspective than you—on the same issue? We rarely do this! We don’t care to hear opinions or view perspectives that are different from our own. We just don’t. If you want to see what love and acceptance looks like, watch children interact.
If you still think I’m crazy, do this simple task. Ask yourself these two questions—what do I love about myself? What do I hate about myself? Which list is longer? My point is—it has become so much easier for us to find things we hate rather than things we love. And then we find ways to justify these feelings of hate. Why do we do this? I’m just as guilty.
We continue to have tragedies that are driven by hate and intolerance. What’s to blame? We can’t blame inanimate objects. We can’t blame a single person or even a political party. We can’t blame a culture. We can’t blame a race. We can however, blame ourselves. Each and every one of us. That means ME. That means YOU.
Change begins with each of us. We must learn to love, respect and accept EVERYONE, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, etc. We must do better. We must be better.
If you are offended by any of this, I encourage you to take a closer look at yourself. Are you happy with yourself? Are you happy with how you treat others? Do you treat others the way you wish to be treated? Do you stand up for what is right? Or do you turn a blind eye when someone is being treated unfairly?
We all make mistakes. We all judge. We are simply human. But don’t use that as your excuse. Make a change. Be better the next time. Help others be better. Spread kindness and not hate. The world would be such a better place if we all just gave a little more and took a little less.
Be a kind human. ❤️
“Hate cannot drive out hate; only LOVE can do that.”