Why do we hate?

Did you ever wonder what has to happen to a man to bring him to the point of killing another human being? How much conditioning must a person go through to cause him to ram his vehicle into a crowded bus stop, scatter bodies with his vehicle, then get out and hack at the wounded with an axe – simply because they were Jewish and he is from Palestine?

What causes people to follow their barbaric leadership and declare Jihad, warping their culture and religion to fit their cause? Why do we follow blindly and go into other nations to bring “Democracy?”

We watch years of television programs and play video games that depict war and violence in a romantic and exciting way. The reality of war couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’ve seen burned bodies bloating in the sun, I’ve seen villages that were only old women and children because the younger men have all gone off to defend their country or were killed or tortured because of where they were born. The children in those villages telling stories of rape and abuse by their oppressors. 

What makes any of us think we have the right to encroach on another simply because we believe differently? 

These are hard questions with no simple answer. I think the thing that bothered me the most about my past isn’t what I did, it was the fact that I could be conditioned into believing that rhetoric and thus, be taken so far from who I truly am and molded into something – at my core – that I am not.

One thing I have discovered on this journey is that hate, violence, deceit, anger, oppression are all tools the people in charge use to spread these beliefs. We think that because we grew up in America, we have it right. We are anti-Muslim, anti-Gay, antisocial, we are so steeped in our traditions and beliefs that we don’t even stop to consider a different perspective anymore. How do you know that what you believe is the way it is? 

Belief is defined in the following ways:

noun

1. something believed; an opinion or conviction:

a belief that the earth is flat.

2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof:

a statement unworthy of belief.

3. confidence; faith; trust:

a child's belief in his parents.

4. a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith:

the Christian belief.

Nowhere is it defined as FACT. It’s a thought that you have carried for a long time. So prove to me how your beliefs are right and anyone else’s are wrong!

Today I challenge you to be open to something new. Understand that by being open to the possibility of something doesn’t require your commitment to it. Just accept it as it is. If it resonates, explore it. See where it takes you. If it doesn’t it, let it go. But be open to the possibility. 

The reality is that we are all connected. We have seen this proven in mass meditations. Get quiet, go within. Challenge your own belief system. Start to question everything you know. You will find that you are capable of so much more than you ever knew possible because your belief system holds you back!

Today, when you are presented with an opportunity to witness an idea or thought that goes against your beliefs, instead of immediately dismissing it, simply accept it for what it is. Another perspective. You can then safely sit on it, dwell in its presence, and contemplate it without feeling like the other person is forcing it on you. You stop finding offense in other people – seriously, what gives your belief more weight than anyone else’s? – and you start using empathy. 

For example, if you are Christian, talk to a Jew. Do you know why they don’t believe Jesus was who you say He is? Is your God so callous that He would cast that Jew into a lake of fire for believing that, or would He be accepting of the person understanding that they are a product of their environment just like you are? 

When we walk a mile in another person’s shoes, we learn more about ourselves. 

Love is unconditional. Love is accepting. Love is God. Love is everywhere. You just need to have the courage to be the example of it in a world that shuns light. You have to step up where others won’t. Lead by example. Be the change. I think you will find that it’s contagious. When a person sees you don’t have resistance to their opinions and beliefs, even if you don’t accept them as truth for yourself, it opens the door to so many possibilities. It creates a dialogue in which both parties involved will benefit from it. 

Namaste.