As sometimes happens, I was struck by a line from a movie I watched recently called” The Custodian”, it was a fantasy story about a” gatekeeper” to Heaven. There was a discussion about love and hate. The gatekeeper explained to another character that hate was the complete absence of unconditional love. Hate has no definition other than the absence of love and an overabundance of ego coupled with only love of self interest and an absence of any other emotions like compassion or empathy at all.
The more I pondered this, the more I believed it to be true. After all, hate in its purest, most raw form, is the absence of any kind of compassion or emotion. I know of no human with the possible exception of one, other than Jesus, ( Mother Teresa), who comes anyway near true unconditional love.
Today society, instead of becoming more enlightened, seems to be reverting back to a time when humankind had little regard for any kind of empathy or compassion for their fellow human beings at all.
We see, for example, everyday people, who consider themselves to be compassionate and feeling human beings, destroying others on social and print media, not knowing the other person or persons at all. We claim that everyone has a right to their beliefs and opinions, yet we turn around and spew vitriol, even sometimes hate, at people we know nothing about. Is this really enlightenment? Or perhaps, as I stated earlier it’s the gatekeepers definition of hate.
I believe we need to tone down the rhetoric and show some empathy and compassion. In my life journey I have finally come to the point where I hate no one. Since I know nothing of the other person’s life and experiences, even if I strongly disagree with their speech and actions, I have come to the decision to simply, either mildly or strongly dislike these people. The answer is when I dislike them, I simply ignore them or go out of my way to not associate with them in any form. Almost everything on social media has a hide or delete button which I find allows me to ignore them. I do not feel compelled to respond negatively, or at all. I know nothing of their journey, their experiences, or their beliefs and they know nothing of mine and that my friends is the beginning of a peaceful, enlightened life. It’s true that sometimes it takes work to suppress the urge to respond, but it’s a matter of mindset and valuing peace and enlightenment rather than become the same as the person or persons, I dislike. Just some thoughts to ponder in today’s caustic society.
God Bless
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