How far into the darkside are you?

There is a word in the English language that can cut deeper than any knife; it can cause a wound that will never fully heal. We use it daily in reference to such trivial things like soup, cabbage and washing up. It’s a small word, four letters long and yet it can reduce the strongest of men to tears. It can break hearts and smash the resolve of anyone who it is used against. Personally I try very hard to avoid using this particular word against a person as I have been on the receiving end of it too many times, so I know firsthand how much it can hurt. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the word is “hate”. To be honest, I don’t think I actually hate a single person, I’m not keen on soup, I can take or leave cabbage and I avoid washing up whenever I can, but I do it if I have to. I dislike a few people, my bank manager, the tax man and the illness that is slowly destroying the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Do I hate a living breathing person? I think I can be truthful in saying that I do not. There have been times when I’ve thought that I do but I realised that what I really feel is anger at the person(s) who have wronged me. I honestly believe that there’s enough hate in the world without me adding to it. I guess what I really want to know is, why do we hate? Is it because the person we hate has exposed a weakness within us? Or perhaps it’s because we feel wronged in some way. Is revenge the same as hate? The two certainly come as a pair, hate is probably one of the stronger human emotions, and it can also be one of the most expressive. We show hate easier than we show love or care, it’s destructive and, to me, more than a little bit pointless.

A very close friend recently asked me if I hated him, my response was to look him straight in the eye and respond “NO! In fact I don’t think there’s anything you could do that would make me hate you!” I don’t doubt that I have the capacity to hate within me, I am human after all. What I don’t know as yet is what it would take to release such negativity. To be honest I hope I never have cause to discover what it will take.

Wow, that was deep!

I have nothing else to say so I leave you to contemplate the three things that society should be built on, peace, love and good strong cheddar.