Is Hatred A Useless Emotion?

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Sun, 2003-06-22 20:25

Gerry made me think about this after he claimed I am 'consumed' by hatred. Firstly, I guess we all use emotive words far too readily and I'm as guilty of that as most others I know. When I say I 'hate' royalty I don't really mean I HATE them as I obviously don't know them. I suppose what I mean is I dislike what they stand for and their public personas. They are probably just as much victims of their place in society as anyone else. Still, I thoroughly disapprove of the concept of royalty and class. When I analyse feelings of hatred I realise there is very little on this earth that I do actually 'hate' and mostly it is philosophies rather than individuals. Love is another emotion all too readily ascribed to feelings of just 'liking' something or someone, so perhaps we all should think a little deeper about what we are saying because others can draw the wrong conclusions from statements made in haste to dramatic effect.
Having read back over these few lines I can see it could be construed as pomposity but as Ricky Nelson said in song, 'you can't please everyone so you just have to please yourself'. No Ralph, I insist it was Ricky Nelson, you see I've been involved in music for close on 50yrs. so I must know what I'm talking about!

Sun, 2003-06-22 21:05

mississippi

If you're lucky Jackie.

Sun, 2003-06-22 21:15

Andrea

I'm with AJ on this one. Hate, like revenge, is a complete waste of energy which can be better expended on other, more productive, things. I either like, love or am totally indifferent to. And George, love doesn't necessarily have to be directed towards a person. You can just love life itself :-)

Sun, 2003-06-22 21:29

Flash

The French don't have royalty anymore , it could be argued that hate and determination removed their Royal family. Doesn't hatred fuel people's energy to rid themselves of Tyranny. How many countries have benefited this way? It also be argued that hatred motivates competitors in Sport,buisness and politics to suceed. Robert Stroud hated the penal sytem in the U.S.A, did it motivate him to greater things?

Sun, 2003-06-22 21:37

lexy

I reckon hate has it's time and place 'I hate egg white 'and if I disposed of that feeling and embraced egg white in any shape or form, then I'd be sick. But then I guess some would say vomit has a purpose too and in it's avoidance I'm denying my God given right to barf. Personly I reckon its all down to those who manufacture carpet cleaners. Who knows?

Sun, 2003-06-22 22:04

I ain't lucky G........hey I have given me all, but it has been frequently 'never good enough'! I dislike intensely the 'royal family' and as the dictionary states 'hate' is exactly that! But I don't give a toss about them ...just what 'they' stand for. The biggest Income Support claimants in history. So I agree with ya.........I dislike hyprocrisy, greed, friends who purport to be yer friend but stab ya in the back. But give me someone who is honest (even when I disagree) I will be loyal etc to death. Is that love? I dunno. What I know is like I said......tis better to spread love than hate! Hope this makes sense am tired .....revision etc.

Sun, 2003-06-22 22:34

Hen

'Hate' seems to be an admission of a personal problem, so in that sense it's already less dangerous than things like 'disgust' and 'outrage', which imply an ethical or cultural superiority. I think hate *can* serve a useful purpose, or at least can prompt something productive.

Sun, 2003-06-22 22:40

sabelle

I agree with Andrea. Hatred is a negative emotion & a waste. If you hate someone or something, you are wasting your emotion on them/it. If you concentrate on something you like it is far more beneficial

Sun, 2003-06-22 23:21

Jay

Hi Sabelle thats all I wanted to say really when I started. On reflection I use the word hate but it has no meaning because I don't feel it

Mon, 2003-06-23 03:46

#10

sabelle

Hi Jay I'm glad someone agrees with me!!!!! I just thought, love can be wasted because sometimes we give our love to someone who doesn't deserve it & that can be just as bad as hate.

Mon, 2003-06-23 06:31

#11

skydolphin

What a great topic Mississippi! it inspires me!! better than any inspiration point!

Mon, 2003-06-23 10:11

#12

freda

A lot of the time when we say we hate someTHING, it's only the tone of our voice which makes it emotional. When we hate someONE it's almost always based on fear. The actual question Mississippi asked is interesting as I wondered if any emotion has a use. The idea of love for instance having a use or function may lead to cynical thoughts.

Mon, 2003-06-23 10:13

#13

chooselife

I'd hate to get embroiled in the Ralph/Mississippi saga. Does that make me a bad person ?

Mon, 2003-06-23 11:23

#14

Ely Whitley

I see hate like belief or love, you can't choose to do or not do any of them, they happen to you and you recognize the symptoms. I do believe we should see the symptoms as what they are and treat them with common sense and reason so as to alter them based on this new view. Missi doesn't hate the royal family as he states above so a little reasoning allows him to see the reality of his feelings and not over state or emphasise them.

Mon, 2003-06-23 12:49

#15

mississippi

Oh, I'd say that makes you an eminently sensible person Life.

Thu, 2003-06-26 12:52

#16

Jay

Nothing false about about the remarks I am about to make, sorry i try hard to cover my back most! of the time just in case as I really don't like unpleasantness giving or receiving it so again most! of the time feel I have to explain my reasons. Hence the cover my back bit not only on here I do it all the time probably due to feelings of insecurity even though it may not show its always there like perpetual bad penny. Well at last back to the remarks I was going to make when I started this, I find mostly when everyone is in a more serious mood like the threads above lots of you have in my opinion terrific ways of putting words down, is there an art to this or does it just come naturally, whatever I would love to learn...

Wed, 2003-06-25 08:07

#17

skydolphin

Hatred is not an emotion, it's just an insidious fallacy of the mind destroying positive feelings of the heart.

Sun, 2003-06-22 20:49

#18

Rokkitnite

What do you mean by useless, Missi? Do you mean it as synonymous with worthless? I can see lots of uses for hatred, and on a genetic level, I expect (although I'm not even close to an expert on the subject) that the fight-or-flight response and its concommitant aggressive urges are, in part, responsible for the survival of our species. More pertinent - perhaps - is whether one thinks hatred is of value in one's life, if it is something worth cultivating. I think it's fine to hate people if you must - there's no sense surpressing it - but that there's no need to cling to that hatred. It's okay to hate, but do you really want to?

Sun, 2003-06-22 21:00

#19

mississippi

I meant does it serve any USEFUL purpose, you obviously think it does. Is it a constructive emotion or a destructive one? I can't think you didn't really know what I meant.

Sun, 2003-06-22 21:01

#20

hatred is a wasted emotion. Why? Because it consumes far too much time. And time is valuable, so why waste it? Love on the other hand is worth every second. Why? Because it is never wasted. You give love and love is returned tenfold.

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