Our beautiful world is a crazy place right now! Have you noticed?

There’s so much going on all around the globe these days, it’s nigh impossible to keep up with it all. With the pandemic still a threat and world economies struggling from extended shutdowns, did we really need the additional natural disasters of hurricanes, floods and rampant fires?

Then there’s the human factor. The social injustice protesting, the looting, the widespread violence in major cities, and the most divisive and derisive general election in the history of the United States is ramping up to a crescendo. 

The Life and Times of now are challenging, do you agree?

The social media platforms are abuzz with current events, diverse opinions, raging rants—and you name it.  It seems everyone has a cause to promote or an opinion to share. The feeds are choc a block with social and political views—and judgments.  Somewhat annoying, but all okay since everyone is entitled to voice their opinion in a free world—and what we don’t like we can scroll past, right?

What I find distasteful is the visceral hatred, especially when the hate clearly cancels out any form of intellect. Hate is destructive, repugnant—and not helpful in any way, to anyone.

Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world,
but has not solved one yet. 
—Maya Angelou

Hate is insidious in its pervasiveness. Spawned inside its perpetrator, it will fester and multiply. Eventually, if not eradicated it will eat its human host alive—from the inside out. Hate is greedy and all consuming in its desire to rule all other human emotions.

If left to run amok it will smother thoughtfulness and kindness. It will destroy reason and obliterate the ability to forgive. It will block truth, leaving its victim blinded, and incapable of seeing beyond the object of the hate. It serves no useful purpose. 

 

Unrestrained hate will eventually escape its boundaries of the internal being and spew its venom externally, often causing harm to others in its path, but in the end the greatest harm inflicted is to the one who feeds on it. Hate will devour the individual in which it resides. 

 

There is only one antidote to hate. It is to stop! Stop hating, let it go, and replace its presence with thoughtfulness, kindness, forgiveness and love. 

 

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen —1John 4:20

 

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses —Proverbs 10:12