HATE

PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS. HATE- The intense or passionate dislike of a person, place, thing, or object or the extreme hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury as defined by Merriam-Webster. Parents instruct their children not to use the word hate, and some treat it as a profane word when used towards another person. When you look at the word's definition, you can see why this one word could upset, disturb, or cause some turmoil if directed to another person, but how often have you used this word to describe someone, or has someone used it against you? Hate describes the feelings one might have towards someone else due to what that person may have done to them personally or professionally, possibly to their family member, or brought harm or damage to a valued possession. Whatever the case, maybe, the discord is there. But what causes this discord or this feeling? I would say rejection tops the list of reasons to hate someone. Hate is experienced and often acted out when there is a threat to our happiness and well-being, including mental, physical, or emotional denial and refusal. Our emotions and feelings turn into shame, sadness, fear, anger, or resentment toward the offender or offenders, leading to hate. Hatred acts as a pain-avoidance device that drives us away from what causes us discomfort, in a not-so-distant second of why a person would hate someone, the none fulfillment of an expectation. Sometimes unbeknownst to people, knowingly or unknowingly, expectations are given to people. Once a bond of trust breaks, hate enters the vocabulary and is uttered out of the mouth. How many children are mad at their parents because they expected their parents to continue to take care of them as adults financially, and when they stopped, they uttered the words “I hate you”. Some parents hate their children because they are a part of the LGBTQ community, and since they stepped out of what they expected of them, now they hate their children. Many respect and value church clergy and expect them to be perfect and faultless until they do something out of character and shatter the status quo, which leads to public hatred. I wonder how much hatred some people carry for others due to the inability to deal with their guilt? This guilt could spawn from a wrong decision or indecision of not speaking up. We often fall into the trap of blaming other people for how we feel and what happens to us to avoid the reflection on ourselves. It's not about what you say but your belief within yourself. Anytime you are offended by the actions or words of others, it's because, at some level, you doubt yourself in that area. Every emotion we have is a learned behavior, and they play a critical role in how we live, influence, engage and nurture our lives. Throughout our lives, starting as an infant, the six basic emotions of happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise are modeled in front of us, and we learn how to respond to each of those feelings. One thing that is not taught or talked about is the word forgiveness. To forgive, a person must stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for an offense or mistake. The word also means canceling or requesting to excuse one's foibles, ignorance, or impoliteness. People who don't forgive neutralize their growth potential. "The longer you hold on to that which you should release, the more dangerous it is to you. The build-up of carbon monoxide in the body can lead to serious tissue damage or death, and if wine is stored too long, it turns into vinegar. We must learn to release our haste to experience taste." To grow, you must first learn to let go. To release your hatred, you must learn how to shift your perspective. To overcome this, I recommend you learn or inquire about the person or situation, implement a change plan or have a conversation that could bring a conclusion or an understanding, and embrace or acknowledge the outcome, even if you disagree. #SPEAK2MYHEART