Which is the strongest emotion, love or hate?

[LarryOldtimer]

I may be emotionally defective, but I have experienced hate only for brief moments . . . where I felt like killing someone, and it soon passed. Life is too short to waste hating people. Now I do detest and loath some people (mostly politicians ), but that is different from hate. I have loved, and do love, per Robert Heinlein's definition: "Love is that state where one person's happiness is essential to your own." Of course, I have felt lust, who hasn't, as it is quite natural?

I think that love is the more powerful . . . people have willingly sacrificed themselves for people they love, which is far more hard to do, I think, than killing someone else (or committing suicide for some ridiculous religious cause, as those who do that think that they will get great rewards in the hereafter for doing so.) Some may indeed die in the process of killing someone they hate, but I think that that possibility isn't thought of at the time.

One of the most basic reasons that love can turn to hate, I think, is that when an individual loves someone, that individual trusts the loved one, and expects reciprocation. When that trust is violated, the individual feels betrayed, and that leads to hatred of the previous loved one. ("How could you do that to me?") We expect strangers to do that which is not in our best interests, but we don't expect it from loved ones.

[+joc]

The strongest emotion is sex. But hate is easier than love. Love is better than hate. But hate is easier to do.

[hyperactive]

joc, why do you say hate is easier to do? if hate is easier to do it is only because that is how people have been conditioned to think.

[+joc]

I say that because hate is a negative emotion. Love is a positive emotion.

The majority of people have negative mindsets do they not?

It is easier to think negatively than positively. Therefore, it is easier to hate than to love.

[hyperactive]

if people have negative mindsets it is entirely because of conditioning.

all these constructs such as love/hate are learned. they are also relative (again).

i think devoting energy to be against something is harder than devoting enery to balance. why waste energy? it usually happens because people are too egocentric (and it is easy to be so - after all, you are the centre of your own experiences). recognizing one's real relation with the world is important for then all this silly talk of love/hate will fall away.

[JayRob303]

I believe that love is a stronger emotion... Everybody hates something, but has the ability to prevent an action in response to this emotion. Love seems to turn off that ability in the mind that prevents irrational thought...

Although, I believe that hate has had a greater impact on history... Hitler was used as an example. We all see Hitler as an evil person, with hatred motivating his every move. Are we so sure that he did this for purely evil reasons, or did he do it to 'purify' his country? We all know he was psychotic...and I'm not condoning ANY of his actions...just for arguments sake, what if, in his twisted mind, he was protecting/expanding his country the best way he knew how...

[+joc]

If people have negative mindsets it is entirely because of conditioning.

Well, okay, conditioned by the hardships and difficulties of life, conditioned by other negative people perhaps. Everyone is conditioned, but only a few have actually mastered the Positive Thought Process. That too comes from conditioning, but from a self instigated conditioning that few have the inner strength to accomplish. It is just easier to think negatively. Thinking positively takes work....Love takes work.

Which is easier. To be ticked off at someone who pulls out in front of you in a reckless manner on the highway? Or to consider the situation of that person...how and why they are feeling the way they are. Are they very late for an urgent meeting? Did someone in their family just die? Etc. The answer is obvious. Which is easier...to hold a grudge against someone who truly wronged you ...or to forgive? Forgiveness is born of love.

It is easier to hate. But that is not really the question. Love is a stronger emotion than hate. As evidenced by countless people who have died trying to rescue a loved one. Or just out of love for humanity. No one ever raced into a burning building because they hated someone inside.

[sleever1]

Love is stronger, but hate is easier to feel. Everyone has the ability to hate, it takes a strong will to rid yourself of that emotion. Love, on the other hand, is confusing and sometimes complicated to the point of being seemingly intangible. Since hate is so easy to understand, and love so hard, love is clearly the strongest.

787035[/snapback]

Love can happen instantaneously, but hate usually takes time to build up.I have thought I hated before and beat someone down because I thought I hated them, and aferward it ended up we became friends. It seems if you really hated you wouldn't care what they think, so I think love is stronger

[+Sherapy]

"love makes you want to die and hate makes you want to kill." 

this is a very limited view for love can just as easily make you want to kill, and hate make you want to die.

hate can be just as personal and internal as hate, and love can be driven forth to destroy.

sherri: jusus did not introduce anything new to the world, although he may have brought it to a new audience.  it is al a matter of perspective if jesus raised anything other than false-hopes.

the problem is that love/hate is like good/evil = a human construct that has no basis other than in categorization.  the represent the same underlying reality, but are merely labels of convenience.

787358[/snapback]

You don't think he raised conciousness demonstrated pure love in human form??/I certainly did not mean to infer that he was by means the only Avatar that walked this earth I just couldn't think of all of them at the time. Namaaste Sehri

[+Link of Hyrule]

Love and hate are as strong as each other. hate being the brasher of the two means that there would probably be more noticeable effects in history of this than there are of love.

That said, love can so easily turn rotten (jealousy, rage for example).

Regards

[+Link of Hyrule]

On the other hand, how many of you have really hated someone or somthing?  I mean downright killing hate!

787167[/snapback]

Only once - it's not a great feeling to have I'll tell you that for nothing. i'm glad I have never seen this person again (although that was really a heat of the moment thing and has now dissipated from hateful killing to dispassioned detatchment). Of course, if the person in question were to ever ask forgiveness, I would forgive him, but until he shows remorse for his actions, he is not worthy of my forgiveness.

Regards,

Edited August 13, 2005 by Paranoid Android

[+Link of Hyrule]

Herman Proust once said that "love makes you want to die and hate makes you want to kill." 

Love is self-directed, internal and consuming.  Hate extends outward, directed toward others as an expression of its force.

Because love is so personal, it has little dynamics when related to others with the exception of the person loved.  With hate, however, the impact can be felt and seen by all and can have its own level of devastation.

We can, of course, analyze the all-embracing love such as Mother Theresa but did it change the course of anything?  But the hate of one fired worker returning with a shotgun to the workplace is common and touches many, including the innocent.

787205[/snapback]

Good point, well said

[101]

You choose to love or hate.

Me personally I am divorced and I do not hate my ex husband I love him. He is a good man and does not deserve hatred. Even though people say how can you love a man who did those things to you. I say" There is good in us all, and I choose to see the good in him"

But to everyone else hate seems to be the stronger emotion.

[+Sherapy]

You choose to love or hate.

Me personally I am divorced and I do not hate my ex husband I love him. He is a good man and does not deserve hatred. Even though people say how can you love a man who did those things to you. I say" There is good in us all, and I choose to see the good in him"

But to everyone else hate seems to be the stronger emotion.

788340[/snapback]

very nice 101!!!!

Love with conditions turns to other things, true love or love without conditions is sufficient unto itself.

Humans fall into love hoping the beloved will make them complete they have expectations and when they find that another can't complete them resentments build all the problems come, Or humans give up themselves to be in the relationship, relationships were never meant for lossing ourselves Each of us individually is the source of all things a successful relationship means you come tho the relationship whole you come to enhance the others happiness not to be the source of their happiness. The relationship is also a great path to heal to heal everything that is unlike love , Those things that are conditional will start to show up to be corrected you know the "issues"

There is a good saying it says "Instead of looking for the right person be the right person" Namaste Sheri

[Baku]

Well you know what they say, Love can be like Heaven but it can hurt like Hell

[hyperactive]

You don't think he raised conciousness demonstrated pure love in human form??/I certainly did not mean to infer that he was by means the only Avatar that walked this earth I just couldn't think of all of them at the time. Namaaste Sehri

787720[/snapback]

check your PM. (being what section this topic is in)

[saladins follower]

im 14 bout to hit 15, playing 9th grade football junior varsity starting wide reciever and strong safety... i admit i am conditioned just to beat up guys, demolish,and out perform them in almost every category,and the coaches and the staff builds us like that...before a game we have a thing we like to call the hate talk, where the coach just motivates us with a good talk about what the coach did to yo mama just came in you house and grabbed the fuc*in controller and flipped the channel works all the time ...but cant wait till i hit 11th grade so i can go out for varcity

[Watzel]

Lets see...God is love....the devil is hate....God kicked the devil out of heaven. Yep!!! Love is stronger!

[smallpackage]

I'd have to say love. If anyone has had an experience (Like being a car accident with your mom and shes injured) that threatens the life of someone you love, It's such a...Almost horrible feeling of worry. But that might not be the love were talking about here?

[Cody lee Williams]

Hate can make you do things with out thinking,such as killing some one etc. Love can make you do something and live with it forever. It can change you into more of a person than you could dream of being.

So love gets my vote

[Cody lee Williams]

im 14 bout to hit 15, playing 9th grade football junior varsity starting wide reciever and strong safety... i admit i am conditioned just to beat up guys, demolish,and out perform  them in almost every category,and the coaches and the staff  builds us like that...before a game we have a thing we like to call the hate talk, where the coach just motivates us with a good talk about what the coach did to yo mama  just came in you house and grabbed the fuc*in controller and flipped the channel      works all the time ...but cant wait till i hit 11th grade so i can go out for varcity

788980[/snapback]

Yes but if you knew if you lost a game your dog would be hurt (god forbid) wouldn't you be more motivated than over the tv? out of love?

Edited August 14, 2005 by Cody lee Williams

[AnuKabal]

Hate is stronger. Alot of times i'm driven by hate and consumed by fear

[Watzel]

Hate or love....hmmmm. We are consumed by hate and make love. Love is a positive, good feeling. Hate is destructive and a bad feeling. Which one is the stronger is not important, but which one is better is love.

[deathinabottle]

Many couples claim to be deeply in love, marry, divorce and wind up hating each other.  Love often turns into hate but when have you seen hate turn into love?  Hitler killed millions out of a hatred and suspicion of the Jewish people and Mother Theresa was known for her love and charity.  Which of these had the greater impact on history?  Which is it?  Is love stronger than hate or is it the reverse?

787006[/snapback]

if love were stronger than hate or if hate were stronger than love then the world would only be filled with one. one would have overcomed the other. although people say that the world is filled with hate its also filled with love,

[RaginCajun]

the two can't exist without the other. my proof of that (look around). there is too much difference. either emotion can create a normal person to a hero. as far as impact: evil often triumphs but never conquers.