Human nature:
With Joe Biden campaigning at the stump around the US decrying hatred; and Azerbaijan is at war with Armenia; and across the world conflict is rife; while here, at home — in Fiji, a teacher is alleged of posting hate messages on social media; it seems high time that we thought deeply and carefully about the meaning of the words hate and hatred.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) asked, “why is propaganda so much more successful when it stirs up hatred than when it tries to stir up friendly feeling”.
How true is that? Those who speechify to crowds about love and tolerance receive little or no reaction – but those who rant and rave against another person, or political viewpoint, get bells and whistles!
In San Diego, California, there is a “Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism”.
There are probably many more such centres, but surely even one is too many? Why on earth should such a centre be necessary?
It is a sad reflection and condemnation of the prevalence of human hatred.
Ask the average person today if they would want yet another war and the answer is invariably “no”.
Unfortunately, some world leaders, both unelected and elected who initiate wars. They do this for several reasons: wars can disguise a failing economy, and can be profitable for the victor.
Territorial wars can extend a country’s boundaries thereby mistakenly adding to a leader’s popularity, but primarily wars are used to maintain power.
To start a war a leader needs to encourage hatred. Sadly the leader does not have to create hatred – it is already there.
The German poet Ernst Lissauer, in 1914, at the start of the World War I wrote what has come to be known as The Hymn of Hate, specifically, of course, hatred of England.
But he did not reckon on the British sense of humour when his poem was ridiculed and parodied.
The hymn glorifies hatred as being felt by every German for the English.
Some Germans saw the poem as an expression of patriotism, but most were ashamed of it.
Eventually Lissauer regretted his poem’s composition.
Roget’s Thesaurus gives similes for hate such as antipathy, aversion, and irritation, among many others.
... disapproval is more usually expressed these days with wit than with malicious invective
It is immediately obvious that these words describe human failings. Even the little Collin’s Gem Thesaurus under Hate, Hateful and Hatred gives 40 similes for the word ‘hate’.
How useless is it to allow such feelings as antipathy and aversion and irritation to rule one’s life?
When we think about it, hate is probably the most self-destructive emotion we can experience. It eats away at the hater, and in many cases has little or no effect upon the hated.
The amount of stress caused by hatred, the emotional turmoil, the obsession, can be immense.
The loss of sleep, loss of appetite, and inability to think of anything other than the focus of the hatred has an enormous physical and mental effect on the hater.
Hate is futile and gets nobody anywhere: it is neither positive nor constructive. There are examples of hatred causing death all around us, twenty-four seven.
Think ISIS, al-Qaida and the thirteen men who plotted to kidnap the Governor of Michigan and foment civil war in the US in the name of white supremacy.
So, what is hate and why do human beings hate?
While it can be rooted in greed for other people’s land and resources: it is also caused by fear and insecurity.
Fear of the religions and opinions of others: the differences of colour and race of others.
The fear of freedom of speech and choice, caused by the inability to accept that everybody has those rights.
Hatred is born of the insecurity that is caused by wondering, deep down,
“Am I really right”? Saddest of all, perhaps, is the hatred that is born of religion – hatred born of a belief.