The Problem with Hate

 

 

Photo Credit: Carol Hill taken at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, 2017

 

The Problem with Hate

By Carol Hill

 

So, it has been awhile that I have written a post that is so deeply rooted in sadness, after all I am working diligently on becoming the Happiness Ambassador. However, I feel as if this has to be said and that I have to make my feelings on the subject of hate known to all who know me or will come to know me in the coming months and days.

There is an old saying that goes something like this “ to know thy own self is to know thy enemy more”, not sure who said it or even if I am quoting it correctly but I understand from the depth of my heart exactly what that means. It for me, means I have to look deep within the wells of my own heart to know what is in the heart of another.

Let me start by saying this, I have no enemies, I have no beef with anyone, and I have no desire to negatively impact anyone’s life. That is not my mission, nor is it the reason God has granted me this beautiful life. Nope, I am here to help, to motivate, to support, and to spread and encourage love. That is my charge, that is my only mission.

Having said that, I have seen and looked hate in the face many times throughout my life and I am watching the grip of hate place a strangling choke hold on our society and its painful to watch. And before you stop reading for fear that this is a political post know that it is not! I am talking about one thing, okay…two things only, hate and love. That is all hate and love.

So, what is the problem with hate? Are we not allowed to have personal preferences, likes and dislikes? Of course, we are, that is what makes us the dynamically unique individuals we are. That is what makes us individuals with independent ways of thinking and seeing our world, that is what makes us- us! But what about hate? Should we hate? Some might say “hell yes, it’s my right as you just stated, and it make me -me as you just stated” and to that I say this…

Here is the problem with hate (that I have witnessed and experienced) and why its such a problem for the individual feeling  the hate, why is an even bigger problem for the people it’s being inflicted upon. Hate is always on a constant wheel of despair. Hate is a cycle of ascending madness! It is without a doubt the actual degutting of one’s heart and of one’s soul; its’ value, when it said and done, will always be less than zero. There can be and will be no other way. Like most lethal dis-ease, hate also does not discriminate, it can infect us all at anytime under the right conditions.

As an Infection control practitioner, I often speak to my students about the cycle or the chain of infection. This chain is made up of six links that include the following:  a dis-ease agent or microorganism, a reservoir, a portal of exit, a mode of transmission, a portal of entry, and last but not least a susceptible host. Hate is no different from any other dis-ease it needs the following to survive in one’s heart and to infect a society of people, it needs:

1.       An infectious agent – Media, Social Media, Friends, Family etc.

2.       A reservoir – a place to live and be nurtured (i.e. our minds, hour homes, our social groups)

3.       A portal of exit- Our words, our writings, our shared posts on social media, our music, our art

4.       A mode of transmission- social media, radio, TV, in conversation, in our actions and gestures

5.       A portal of entry- our eyes when we read it, our ears when we hear it, our souls when we feel it

6.       A susceptible host- our children, our men, our women, our communities, our societies, our world!

Unfortunately, we have become the super spreaders of a dis-ease that is so deeply rooted in our history, if we are not careful with it or if we are unable to contain it; it will consume us! This is the problem with hate, hate is ALL consuming and it is relentless in its charge to infect us and kill us at our cores.

Sounds scary right, a bit depressing yep! But just like any other dis-ease, hate has a weakness and if we break the links in the chain of hate it cannot survive; IT CANNOT! IT WILL NOT!

 In infection control, our first line of defense is hand washing. In “hate control” I believe the principles are the same, you have to wash yourself of all the infectious agents of hate daily. So, what does that mean? It means you have to take steps to back away from the infectious agents (i.e. social media, toxic relationships, news, media, external noise), and we MUST take a moment to scrub the infectious agent with the soap of love and kindness.

We MUST cleanse our hearts and our souls with things that you love or that sows the love you have in your heart in others. This is not easy, but it is necessary and in a time of social distancing reconnecting with humanity can be hard, but its not impossible!

Start doing the things that are rooted in love, start to have Sunday dinners with family again, take a walk with a good friend ( OK socially distanced and with your mask on ..but still walk!), read a good soul cleansing book , give a  gift to help lift someone’s spirits, and more importantly do and  be all that you can to be an ambassador of and for love, kindness, and community. That is your first defense, that is how we kick the butt of hate, this is what needs to take place to heal the problem with hate.

 

Until next time, remember to “let your gratitude fuel your attitude”.

 

Your Happiness Ambassador

Carol Hill 

 

 

 

Carol Hill is a mom, a long time nurse, certified professional  life and leadership development coach, a consultant, and Lead Happiness Ambassador and the owner/operator of Just Chill Custom Gifting By Carol.