The general consensus is that hatred is like the proverbial two-edged sword - ultimately harmful to everyone. In a word, bad. People are urged to get rid of it, to have no part in it. But what if someone becomes a better person because they hate what is harmful? What then?

Hate is senseless. Hate the devil if you want, but surely you've got better things to do. Hate no one, hate nothing, not even yourself

My family taught me values, from the time I was old enough to understand them and as such they taught me better than to ever give anyone a part of myself, by hating them. I hate no one. I never have. Even my enemies, I didn't hate. I knew they were there on a mission, to do a job, just like me. And it was a matter of which one of us survived, succeeded in that mission, so as to go home.

Hate is (just) an emotion like all our others. It is created by a combination of physical and psychological forces. We can consciously work to overcome the psychological ones if we are aware of them, but little can be done about the physical causes. Hate is usually disapproved of because, at best, it has non productive outcomes, and at worst harmful ones, to both ourselves and to others.
A hatred which led to "good" physical outcomes might not actually be defined as hatred, but as a desire for justice or for vengeance. Both Justice and vengeance are culturally specific concepts (that is they vary from, and within, society to society)

Thus, hatred is a natural emotion. It is not often seen as productive. Whether its outcomes are good or bad often vary with cultural perceptions.

I believe that individuals, and societies, operating from a basis of love, will enjoy both happier, and measurably more productive, lives than ones operating from hate. Whether that hate is caused by fear, jealousy or other factors is irrelevant.

great quotes GW ones i understand deeply.... heck no i would not hate anyone for any reason
as it would be hating myself I see no seperation between myself and anyone their is only one of us ..... if i encounter a part of myself that is showing up as hatred i would seek to heal not harm...i also feel hatred is taught it isnt' natural to hate anyone the natural being always seeks to unifiy crette the best avenue to peace for all... ....

Maybe I should've provided an example...

'Cus see, I agree that general hatred is bad, but what I wanted to discuss is if can still be called bad when the outcome is good.

For example, let's say there's a tyrannical king, nasty man, a lecherous drunkard and a hypocrite to boot. Then there's the son, the prince, and the one man the prince hates is his father. Because of that hatred, the prince goes in the other direction, pious, honest, etc, and once the king dies and he succeeds the throne the kingdom prospers.

Would you still say hatred is bad in such a scenario?

Not that he hates his father is good- that's terrible. It would be more appropriate to say he hated his father's actions, or ways. Detested them so much, and chose a different pathway, using his father as his inspiration. Sort of like, they (parents) taught us well what not to do, or who we became, without realizing it. It's how we look at it that's important.. hope this makes sense-- :/

Hate begets hate.

I understand what you are saying, but this is not universally true. It depends on the nature of the recipient of the "hatred. " The hatred may be received and returned with love, at best, or even indifference. Hatred is only mutual when there is an emotional connection between two parties, and they both choose to respond with this emotion rather than another.

In as much that hate is not returned with love...hate begets hate.

To hate someone, ultimately gives the person you hate a lot of energy and they can, in the end, use it against you, therefore it harms no-one but yourself.

If someone really riles you and you detest their activities and all they stand for, this really is where you should shake the dust from your shoes and walk on. Do not think of them nor engage in any activities that involve them, ignore all that they are and walk on.

Regarding the Prince you quoted earlier, if that really were the case, he would have been so wound up in bitterness and hatred that to be honest and pious would have been virtually impossible.

Everytime you think of someone you draw something of that person towards you, therefore if you hate everything about them you certainly would not want any of their energy nor should you give them any of yours. It really is best to not acknowledge them in any way.

we do not feel hate towards something harmful. we actually feel fear. a basic response to situations that may harm us. fight or flight. Hate is not a part of that equation. Hate is taught , not innate when it comes to making us safe.



it was anger that served as the motivational factor. he could have easily loved his father dispite his faults and still become a better person. Hate is a choice.


QUOTE
"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." Herman Hesse

too true.

there is a fine line between love and hate. Indifference is a killer of relationships. it's when all communication stops. Or so I hear.

You don't have to hate something to avoid it. The prince hating his father is emotionally debilitating. The prince realizing that he does not want to be tyranical, etc. like the king and making sure he acts differently is a postive thing. Hate isn't required, and could get in the way of positive forward motion.

I see hate as just another emotion. And as is the case with all emotions, it is neither good or bad. It is what we do with that emotion that conveys its meaning. I can "hate" wrong-doing, and in hating such action I can strive to work for a world without wrong-doing. Or I can "hate" the guy that beat me up in High School, which is unproductive and lends nothing to my life except causing me pain and bitterness. Every emotion can have a positive effect on our lives, but every emotion can also have a negative effect. Hate is no different in this respect.

I don't hate a living soul - nobody has that much power over me. I really do believe that hatred is crippling, and the object of a person's hatred is given power to control simply by its existence. The actions of people may disgust me - there's no doubt about that - but I would never invest so much of myself in feeling that strong an emotion for people who behave in a manner which is evil/offensive/disgusting.

Yeah, it does make sense, thanks Sunni

But is it possible not to hate a person when one hates everything about that person?



So if you had a hatred of injustice, you would just ignore it? Would you ignore the cruelty suffered by some people if you hated cruelty?

Well, in regards to that, I disagree. Emotion is not like a pilot, one does not sit in the cockpit and control a person entirely. If the prince in the example were a hateful person, then yes he could have been consumed by hatred and bitterness, but in this instance his hatred had a limited hold on him, it only extended towards his father.



But what if his self-improvement came about as a direct result of that hatred? That's what I'm asking. Does context apply to hatred?



There is? I thought love and hate were opposites, or so I've heard.



Good post! That's what I'm thinking.



So you do not feel hate?

I find it interesting that people equate "hate" with someone having power over you.


I've always felt that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

No. I sometimes say "oh I hate it when that happens", but it's a figure of speech... I don't hate anything or anyone.

Nah man one love

Love is the answer my freind there is no other- Garnett Silk

Not even hypocrisy? Extremism? Injustice? Nothing at all?

Wow.

Now I'm confused... Is that something to be envied or not?

Happiness is just as blinding as hatred.

Can you elaborate?

No. Figure it out for yourself.

I agree.too true.

Um, okay...

You must be really happy right now!

More like confused

Exactly

Huh? Now I'm really confused

Hate

I accept that all those things exist and I that I cannot eradicate them. There is no point in hating them, it is a waste of energy. I do my best to positively impact upon the world, and put my energy into that... I have no energy to spare on hating things.



It's just me... just the way I am. It has a positive effect on my health, which is a good thing.

QUOTE


"You cannot hate other people without hating your self. " Oprah Winfrey



My family taught me values, from the time I was old enough to understand them and as such they taught me better than to ever give anyone a part of myself, by hating them. I hate no one. I never have. Even my enemies, I didn't hate. I knew they were there on a mission, to do a job, just like me. And it was a matter of which one of us survived, succeeded in that mission, so as to go home.


QUOTE
"If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." Herman Hesse



Hesse and Oprah...a match made in heaven

But seriously folks...*wags his cigar*...hate, being an emotion, is so intangible, it's nearly as impossible to describe as Love (yeah, with a capital L).

My love for cheesecake and my love for my children are not open for comparison. See what I mean? Like my hate for brussel sprouts and Chevy Chase movies...just not open for comparison.

Very true, indeed.


Lucky we have advice from the great philosopher Oprah Winfery to give us all some perspective.

In my opinion hatred is a great thing, as it is one of the greatest motivations for behavior, being one of the strongest of human emotions often great things are accomplished under the banner of hate. Hatred is viewed in a negative way because it is associated with actions that are not permissible by many religions ie murder and can quite often have most negative consequences for the parties who are involved.

I see. Thanks for explaining



Oh man, don't remind me >_<

I once made a thread asking people what made love so great... It was a disaster