Fire and Ice
By Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Hate is learned, it is something we are taught for self-preservation, safety and the preservation of our community/culture. Many of the reasons for hating are based on misunderstanding or lack of information. The Pyramid of Hate describes the levels of abuse that, historically, have been done to human beings in order for one group to dominate another and preserve their community/religion/culture/dreams. Any 5th grader understands the hurt of exclusion and how peer pressure can make one do things that wouldn’t ordinarily be considered as acceptable behavior.
I understand hatred. I understand fear and the desperate feeling of protecting what is precious to me. I know that I have bias’ that are both conscious and unconscious. I don’t think one can be free from bias or prejudice, but one can work to understand how the misinformation has become a bias. I think it will be a long time in coming before we are free of hatred. There is a large part of me that believes that it is, in part, human nature. But, I also believe that human beings function at a level of thought that allows for one to be rational and act on emotions that are tamed, rather than animal-like.
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1 comment:
Very true...it is hard to overcome the hidden bias' that lurk within us. We asked the question yesterday, is life something that happens to you or is it something that is intentional? We relegated our thoughts to understand that no matter what happens, it always comes back to "choice". I agree that eradicating hatred is a long process, but as we individually change, we pour out into others and we move one step closer.
Thank you for sharing Sally!
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