Healing Hate

"In hatred as in love, we grow like the thing we brood upon. What we loathe, we graft into our very soul." - Mary Renault

I think it's pretty hard in this world not to hate. It's an emotion that's played up in our culture, so much so that you wonder if anyone gets along anymore. Republicans hate democrats, democrats hate republicans...Israelis hate Palestinians, Palestinians hate Israelis...Israelis hate Hezbollah, Hezbollah hates Israelis...I could go on and on.

But this article in Sunday's edition of the Boston Globe, Can Hate Be Healed? gives a new take on hate. We all know what motivates hate, or what factors contribute to it. But what actually causes it?

Here's what the article says:

"Most hate is cultural. Normal people learn to hate from an early age from parents, teachers, friends, co-workers and the media. They might never translate their bigotry into behavior beyond using stereotypic epithets and telling bigoted jokes. But some hate is pathological. It becomes so severe that it takes control of a person's life, causing him to become isolated, fearful, self-destructive, and dangerous to others."

In other words, the more one hates, the more hate is etched into one's soul. But the author's throw out an interesting thought...can hate be healed? Perhaps it can, but only if it is treated as a mental disorder.

I'm sure that raises the hackles of anyone convinced we need more personal responsibility in this world. But perhaps it's a novel idea.

Anyway, check out the article. It may make you think differently about an emotion that seems so common, and so prevalent, in our world.