STOP THE MADNESS!

What a wasteful and destructive emotion. It breeds intolerance. It shuts down the mind, simplifying everything into nice, easy categories. Black and White. Right and Wrong. Good verses Evil. Us verses Them.

How convenient it must be for those who don't see all the gray. There's never any equivocating, never any doubt about which path to take, which choice to make. No thinking necessary, leave your brain at the door.

And the saddest thing is that kids aren't born into this world arrogant or fearful or full of hate. They come into it open and trusting. Hate has to be taught, whether it's by parents, or by teachers, or by those we want to be our friends. Hatred is passed on from one person to another, one generation to the next, and it's a worldwide epidemic. It always has been, I suppose.

Darryl's racial hatred turned into hatred toward his own father when he urged him to do violence. Darryl's life is now ruined because he failed to hate passionately enough by his dad's standards. Josh hated himself so much for what he was that he killed Rashid rather than have others find out the truth. How messed up is that? Not only is Rashid dead and Josh's own life ruined, but their families suffer, too.

And when people like William Cotton acquire a taste for power, suddenly it becomes political ... and divisive. What better way to exert control over a group than to polarize them by encouraging their hostility toward one another. This works the same for individuals, for organizations and for governments. David Duke, Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden ... all these men have employed these tactics. Disparage those that are different, non-conforming. Denounce diversity. Set one against the other. Divide and conquer. It's everywhere. All over the globe and, probably, since the beginning of time.

But how can it be stopped? What can I do to eradicate hatred from the world ... or, at least, my one little corner of it?

Be compassionate, I guess. Keep trying to understand the other guy, even if -- no, especially if you don't agree with him. Allow that others have different points of view and respect that. Stay curious and not afraid. To understand others, you might have to ask some tough questions about why someone is different or thinks differently than you are.

You may not like the answers. Some answers may change your mind. Your own viewpoint may shift and, suddenly, your worldview may differ from those in your circle. And, if it's an exclusive type of group to which you belong, you may one day find yourself, well, no longer belonging to it.

I guess, when it comes down to it, it takes a bit of bravery to keep oneself open and tolerant. But if you keep at it long enough, you can't help but conclude that we all share in the fundamental human experience. At the end of the day, we will always find that we have more things in common than we have differences.

I hope I can teach JJ not to be afraid of others who are different from him, or of being different himself. Maybe, then, I'll have taught him how not to hate.

Past Entries:

• (7/2) The Unexpected Evening
• (6/25) A Touchy Subject
• (6/18) Does Janus Know About Armageddon?