The Weight of Hate

I've been thinking a lot lately about hate.

You see, over the past couple of weeks, I've realized that hate isn't neccessary. I know it sounds cliche, but it's true. Being rude, being hateful, being disrespectful, is part of being negative, and negativity hurts not only the person it's directed towards, but the person that is being negative.

It almost makes sense, right?

It's like this - for some reason, you feel the need to put others down, talk about them badly, whatever the case may be. Maybe you don't know the reason for this negativity, maybe you do. Who knows. The fact is that the element of negativity is subconsciously you - feeling the need to be negative because somehow it makes you feel better than that individual.

When negativity gets more complicated, it becomes hate. Sometimes we may feel that people have wronged us, disrespected us, hurt us, and we get this idea in our head that we have a right to hate them for it. It's not the fact that we may or may not have that right, it's if we act out on that so called right. By hating someone, you're bringing yourself down to their standard, or your standard of them, however you want to look at it. Weird, eh?

It's the capability to forgive, to love, that will set you apart. By forgiving, you're placing yourself in a higher standard of living, and you're going to be happier as a result.

When you hold a grudge, the weight of that grudge is placed on you more than anyone or anything else. There's a very good chance that the individual you "hate" either doesn't know, or just doesn't care. So all of that nasty, discusting filth that you have against that person... it's not on their shoulders. They don't carry that burden... you do.

Sucks, doesn't it? But here's my point to all of this.

If you didn't feel the need to hold grudges, whether they be big or small, justified or unjustified, you wouldn't have to carry the weight of hate. You'd be free.

Freedom. That's another thing I've been astounded with lately, and how do you get to freedom?

Love. That four letter word that no one seems to know the meaning of anymore. I'm not saying you need to go become best friends with the whole entire world - that's impractical and highly unlikely. What I'm saying is that if you took that negative thought, that hate, that gossip, that rumour, whatever it may be that you're subjecting towards someone else, if you took that and turned it into something positive and gave it the element of love and forgiveness, or just ignored it all together, you wouldn't have to worry about anything! You're conscience would be completely hate free, because the only person that can place hate on your heart... is you.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness; joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we recieve;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Dear Blank;

While you sat there and critisized me, I wanted so badly to make an example out of you in front of everyone within earshot, so that everyone would know how much of an absolute jerk you were.

Instead, I tried to be polite, and you threw it back in my face.
So here it is... what I should have said:

First off, the conversation I was having with my friend didn't involve you, so you didn't have the right to say anything in the first place.

Secondly, before you tell me that I should being going to a Catholic Church, and not a Pentecostal church, I would like you to know that if you want to be able to say such rediculous things you should at least attempt to make an effort to go to church and give a crap about your faith; hypocrite.

Your 'religion' is no better than mine, and I think it's time that you get that through your head. I'm not about to listen to you tell me that I'm wrong about my religion and you're right.

1. 'Religion' is a terrible concept that does nothing but seperate people.
2. Catholicism is no more of a correct religion than any other religion, unless you're worshiping llamas.
3. How would you know? Does God whisper in your ear and give you the answers to all of life's questions? No, I didn't think so.

The thing is, when you have the nerve to challenge my faith, I have the nerve to stand up for what I believe in with every last drop of my soul. I would stand there until my mouth went dry standing up for myself if it would mean anything to you.

But it doesn't. You don't care because you're so blind. So blind.

So in short, you have no right to question my beliefs; Jesus loves me and I love Jesus. That's it. None of the fancy this church that church you're trying to give me. If you're going to challenge me, I'm going to make you look like a blundering baboon, especially when you challenge me in front of my peers and fellow classmates. You don't have the right to tell me what I should believe in, so I'd appreciate it if you dropped it.

The next time you decide you want to judge me, you're going to regret it. If you're not going to be a good friend, I'm not going to consider you one, so the next time you challenge my faith, consider our friendship over. I'm not going to surround myself with people who are going to bring me down. I've got better places to be and better things to do.