Why it’s easier to hate than to love

Good Day World!

Do you know why it’s easier to hate than to love?

I’ve read a lot of books and magazine articles on the subject. The most recent article being James W. Cone’s brilliant piece;

Why is hate easier than love?

About Mr. Cone: he’s a combat veteran of the Vietnam War and has worked with veterans’ groups in the United States. As a combat Vietnam vet myself(1970), I’m always encouraged to see my fellow survivors emerge from the other side of hell, and go on to lead meaningful lives.

Here’s a quick summary of his insightful article:

Hate

“Hate is natural and love is supernatural. Hate does not require any effort on our part because it is a part of the human existence. Hate is fueled by fear or by it’s milder forms concern and worry.

Bias, including racial, gender, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic, are fueled by self-doubt and the feeling we cannot obtain the things we need to survive because of certain people. To make ourselves feel more secure we degrade those who we fear.

Sometimes hate is taught to young people and they believe this hate-talk because it comes from those who they trust. Hate is sometimes passed down from generation to generation even though the hate-talk is illogical and lacks evidence.

Hate requires nothing from us so it is easy to indulge in. All we have to do is dismiss reality and any facts that might differ with our hate-filled beliefs.

LOVE

Love, on the other hand is supernatural. It requires that we overcome the human need to be defensive and have high expectations of others in order to feel secure.

Love also requires that we have the confidence to be able take on life’s challenges and trust we’ll succeed. It demands that we be willing to walk in another person’s shoes so we can see things through the eyes of others and feel their pain.”

Time for me to walk on down the road…