The Nature of Hate

Hate- an intense or passionate dislike of something or even someone. We often hear people use the terms of “Oh, I hate reading!” (Which is blasphemy, I tell you! Blasphemy!) or that they hate certain movies or small things that really do not matter in the grand scheme of things. However, many religions also speak out against hate, and to allow hate to affect every single one of your decisions (much like anger) or to allow it to define your life, is not a very good idea. To have an intense dislike or a passionate dislike of an object or books or a music genre is one thing and understandable; we all have that, which is dependent upon our tastes, but often things are done to other people in the spirit of hatred that is cruel and honestly evil.

I mentioned in my previous post the nature of anger and how the nature of anger was often used to fuel personal prejudices. With this post, we will explore that a bit further as it goes hand in hand.

Unresolved anger can and often does lead to hate. Hate leads to suffering; usually of yourself but it can also affect others because of the personal prejudices that you develop in association with that deep rooted anger. It's where you blame a whole group of people for what one or two did to you based on a similarity or because of an event that you attribute to the person, whether or not it was actually their fault or they had control over it; this is how personal prejudices also grow into hate of a whole group and then a movement for the oppression of others. For generations, people's hate for other people of what they did to them or for what they perceived was done to them at the hands of these people led a lot of racism and oppression. This is an extreme case though, and it is one that is passed from generation to generation. (The sins of the fathers are passed on to the sons comes to mind here. But we will get into that in another post, if not this one, soon enough.) More often than not though, the unresolved anger that leads to hate and then the hate will eat you from the inside out resulting in bitterness and anger at others, affecting relationships and your life on a whole.

When hate rules your life, it does cause pain for you; more pain than even the original wrong could. It has spiritual as well as mental and even health implications in it because you are reliving the past and not moving on from it. You are allowing your anger (and you do have a right to be angry over wrong doing) to fester and boil into something else other than that healing anger where you acknowledge the wrong doing and then work on forgiving. You are hanging on to it and allowing it to change and mutate who you are and what you stood for into something that is not healthy and that is not good or positive or productive.

When your anger gets to that point and then turns to hate, you begin to hate, not necessarily what was done to you which is also understandable, but the person themselves for what they did. We only look at the actions of the person instead of the intent and we never look at the why they did what they did. Understanding why a person hurt you does not excuse what they did, but it can help you to forgive and move beyond your anger and to heal. You deserve the peace of mind of that.

The nature of hate is one that is angry, passionate, and intense. It can be harsh and all consuming, especially when directed at a group of people or a single individual for a wrong or a perceived wrong. This is why anger must be controlled and recognized before it develops into hate and consumes you from the inside out. It also opens doors in your life that would have otherwise remained closed and it continually gives control of your life over to another because you are letting them define your life and your person. That is not what this life is intended for. It is intended for you to live, love, and learn- not to give control over to another with such negative connotations. Be angry, acknowledge what was done, then work on forgiving. Know that it is okay to not like someone, but to have such a deep and angry dislike is not good because it can poison you and cause more harm. It does no good and benefits no one- including you. Don't let hate rule your life or you. It will poison you from the inside out and hurts no one but you. As Buddha said, “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” All hate is is anger that is held on to by you, and you will not hurt anyone but yourself by doing that.

If someone is hateful that you see, respond peacefully. Hate begets hate. Fire