Love and Hate

 Martin Luther King Jr

 I started writing this after I seen something about stopping the hate of a specific group. I was inspired to write something about that. St. Valentine's day, or Valentine's Day is coming up this week and love is in the air. Hate is the opposite of love so I'm calling this Love and hate, These are both strong emotions we are all familiar with as humans.

  There's not a day that goes by that we as intelligent sentient beings don't experience these two emotions. Depending on what your life experiences are you may feel more of one or the other. Sadly, for many the experience is all too often hate in their life. And no matter how loving you are, you have probably hated someone or something at some point in your life too. I know that I have loved as passionately as I have hated at times in my life. How about you? 

  Love is what we feel for those closest to us in life. We love our children because they are a part of us, we see ourselves in them. We are partly responsible for the people they become. Because of this we try to give them a loving and safe home. Writing this part makes me acknowledge that sadly many children don't grow up in a loving and safe home. 

I think why will be explained further in this article. My heart goes out to these people and children who desperately need love. 

  Hate is a very strong emotion that I unfortunately know too well! Not that I am a hateful person, because I'm not. I don't really hate anyone and I know we are all on a unique journey through this world. All of us for the most part are doing the best we can with what we have. This is why I am big on personal development, health and wellness. No matter who we are or where we are at in life we can get better and do better. 

  With hate comes anger and maybe it would be more accurate to say of myself that I have known anger all too well at times in my life. Hate breeds anger and we usually get angry when we feel that we have been done wrong in some way. These emotions exist in the natural world among all sentient beings and has a place. We can defend our self or our family when the need be. These emotions bring on adrenalin and this is useful in the natural world for self preservation. It is also useful in times that we find a need to protect our self and get out of a dangerous situation. 

  But it is a problem when it's used in everyday life for reasons that we should not. We should not hate others for race, or a belief system. In other words we shouldn't hate others for being human! Some would say that we should hate murderers or rapists. I think we should never hate a human being for being a broken human being. Instead we can hate the sin but we should love the sinner! No one who is broken is going to be better as long as they are hated. Love begets love and we are all broken on some level. Certainly some are extremely disturbed, and confused but hate is still not the answer. 

 I think hate in society happens when people don't want to acknowledge their own imperfections and brokenness. Instead of that reflection, and growth they turn on, what they believe is imperfections in others. The interesting thing is the hater only grows more imperfect and broken themselves. We cannot love others if we hate what is human about ourselves. I believe is has very little to do with race, religion or lifestyle choice and everything to do about one's own brokenness. People fear what they don't understand and what they hate about themselves. No one wants to admit their own imperfections or what they don't understand. So they point the finger, hoping that if they point out what they believe is wrong with others their own brokenness won' be found out. They may blame race but that is just a scapegoat. I think it is more about the hater, than the hatee. Whatever the reason hate has no place in a society that desires to be better today than they were yesterday.

 The answer to this I think is acknowledging that we are all in this world together. We are all the same as much as we are different at times. The energy spent on hate is a wasted energy that could be used in the form of love and compassion. We understand that we are all broken in some way and that personal development is what is needed. That way we can move past focusing on what is different and start leaning how to become better people in this world. 

  Now a little bit about love. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. probably says it best. "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend." That is a powerful thought! In Christianity there are examples of this. Jesus loves every one no matter what. He certainly did not support or condone their sin but He loved the sinner. We can look at the conversion of Paul (Acts 1) as an example of this. Paul was the worst sinner, killing Christians but Jesus loved Him enough to impart His love and mercy. And Paul turned into the greatest Saint and Martyr because of it.

  In conclusion I think most of us can agree that hate is useless unless it is a life saving anger. If we wish to create a world that we can be proud of there is no room for hate. For the last words I will leave you with the words of St. Paul the Apostle who was bought out of that darkness in his letter to the Corinthians. Timeless words that are just as true today! 

"If I speak in the tongues a of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 

(1 Corinthians 1-13)

By Joanne Utke

 I hope you have a happy Valentines day! 

Thank you! 

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This Is The Season For Giving and Charity!

  I wanted to post about charity, and giving of ourselves this season, and all year long. In the fall and winter months the giving spirit is on our hearts at least it should be. We can use this time to remind ourselves of the things we can do for others throughout the entire year, especially as we approach the new year. Thanksgiving was established as a national day of Thanksgiving, a time to Give thanks to God for all that he has given us especially the essential fall harvest which made all the difference to a people relying on the harvest to feed them in the dangerous winter season. It was then, and still is a time for Thanksgiving and also a time to make peace with those you may have hurt or just fighting with.  Many people choose this time of year to do charity work, usually with established organizations who distribute Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to those in need. Which is a good thing, and anyone who is able should find the time at least once in a while to do something of this nature.

Time is not the only thing that we can donate to help others, many of us will give a few dollars here or there to those who are asking, in order to use it for a cause. It is nice when people get together and help those in need and I am happy that so many do help out! Still there is something that bothers me and I have seen it over and over again. It is all good as I said before to do what you can for others, but what about at home, your family? Charity begins in the home I am sure you have heard that before. While you are out doing for strangers is there a grandparent you haven't seen in a while or a parent you have neglected even just a little. Have you been fighting with a sibling, and have not made up yet. Is someone in your family in need of you, your support, your friendship even just for you to give a call and say hello.

Many of those who are quick to do for strangers I feel fall short when it comes to their very own family, so is it really giving? You know who you are. We are called to adhere to the golden rule, Do unto other as you would want them to do unto you! As you read this with a giving spirit think of your own family, is there a parent you never call or have not seen for a long time. What about a grandparent you only see every couple months or years or not ever at all, or a sibling you don't even call anymore. These people love you, and even though they to have made mistakes and don't always do what they should have done in the past they are your family none the less. I know we are not perfect and make mistakes we all do but isn't the time now to do more than we have been. Now is the time to forgive and forget. The past is gone, the future doesn't exist yet and all we have is right now to make the changes or at the least make steps toward change. Put all of your negative feelings aside, life is to short, remember the power of forgiveness, give a call and send that Christmas card this year!

We are all in this world together and we are all apart of everything around us and everything effects each of us. Never stop learning! Learn how to be a better you! That is what I strive to do every day sometimes I admit I fail miserably and other times I am proud of all the things I have allowed my self to learn from those mistakes. You will learn more from your failures then from your successes!  Here is a great thing to say as you start your day "Today I will be better then I was yesterday."  When you do better and become a better you it will affect everyone and everything around you!

If you like this you may also like;

The Christmas Story

Is Easter Pagan 

The Hanukkah Story 

Halloween 

The Passover Holy Day

Thanks for reading please share!

Joanne Utke