Why is there hate in the world?
This is a question that has been stuck in my head for quite a while now, and I’m sure it’s a general concept most people have pondered at some point in their life. Once again, I just don’t understand the point. What’s the point of hate? I think this is obviously a question that can be answered differently depending on the person and their worldviews, but since I am only one person I will share with you my personal view on this question.
I think it becomes easy for us to choose to see more hate in the world than we should. I almost feel like ignoring it would be better than giving it any attention. Of course, I’m not trying to promote ignorance in day to day life, but, per my own theory, if you consciously choose to see less hate, then less hate will follow you. The same works for positivity. If you choose to see the good in others you will see the good in yourself as well. Maybe.
I also think that if a person (such as myself) wants to ask the question “why hate?” then you (I) must also ask the question “why love?” Why should we love? I’m not trying to sound depressing or hopeless, but it’s a genuine question. What is the point of love?
In a world where real, genuine love exists, hate must exist to an equivalent extent. For human beings to have free will, in order for us to choose love, hate must also be an option. Since God created us to have free will so that we can choose Him, that same free will also allows us to choose to turn away from Him. Essentially, for us to have the ability to choose love, the option to choose hate must also be available. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a choice.
According to the Wikipedia page dedicated to the word hatred, David Hume describes hate as an “irreducible feeling that is not definable at all” and Aristotle offers the idea that it is “incurable by time.” Doesn’t a world full of that sound great? Obviously not. These seemingly very disheartening descriptions, however, only enforce the fortunately opposite description that must be applied to love or happiness or whatever you define as the opposite of hate.
If philosophers or the Bible aren’t really your thing, let me direct your attention to a possibly even nerdier subject that also happens to support my personal argument. In Harry Potter, one professor states that “there can be no light without the dark” and I think this is exactly what I previously was attempting to explain. But, just as light cannot exist without the dark, so also dark cannot exist without light. Without the severe darkness that accompanies hate in the world, we wouldn’t see or even be able to appreciate the absence of that hate which I see as love.
The two need each other to exist, and without both of them, life would be uncomfortably static. As you can probably see, I have a lot of jumbled thoughts regarding this topic, and I’m not at all exaggerating when I say that this short writing has taken me months to produce. I will, of course, continue to think about the question “Why Hate?” and I would be more than happy for you to consider it as well. I love hearing people’s ideas and writing about mine definitely helps me sort through my endless stream of thought, so I encourage you to write down your own ideas. If anything I hope this piece was at least thought-provoking, and most of all I hope that you share your own ideas with someone (anyone) because conversations like these demand to be held.
Photo Credit: Grace Wakeling
