Some people get ahead of themselves. They think that because they began to study something they are suddenly an expert. For instance, I knew a couple engineering students who already called themselves “engineers”. I hate when they do that. You don't see pre-med students going around calling themselves doctors, or gender studies students calling themselves unemployed.
That hate is more a figure of speech and, unless, someone is a psychopath, it doesn't really mean anything. But true hatred can be problem – and we are seeing so much of it, and its companion, anger, in our world today, especially on college campuses. Whether it is toward a person, whether it is toward an organization, or whether it is toward our country – it distorts perspective and takes away enjoyment of the simple things in life and our ability to appreciate the good things around us.
We see examples of both on college campuses these days. Young people looking for relevance, harboring a rebellious streak are fed lies and half truths. Then, armed wihh this newfound perspective, they are ready to protest, to demonstrate, to destroy property and threaten people - anything to express their rage at "the man". They chant: from the river to the sea... and many don't even know what river or what sea. They know it has something to do with Jews - who they see as white - the Arabs living in Gaza - who have darker skin and make the leap that, once again, the white man is oppressing the dark skinned neighbor.
The lack of understanding of recent events and the historical perspective is astounding... yet they are angry and scream to stop the genocide, all the while calling for the death of all Jews. Meanwhile their fellow classmates, many of whom were with them all the way in espousing progressive thinking and causes don't know what to make of it when their former friends turn on them. These vocal protesters now regard themselves a virtuous for threatening or even harming their old comrades.
They see how many Jews have done well financially and risen to prominence without taking into account the dedication to family and respect for education and hard work - something that is available to all but anathema to many. It is hardly the result of a secret cabal.
It's easy to fall into hating someone when we don't understand who they are or how they got to where they are. Hate and envy go hand in hand. Particularly when those in charge of the institutions are whispering encouragement into the ears of susceptible misfits. As usual, youth believes they have found something new that has not been done before. Most have no idea hat went on in the late 60s. The 1968 Democrat Convention in Chicago saw another generation of anti-war protesters wreak havoc the entire week. Security was so on edge that news man Dan Rather found himself getting beaten on the convention floor by overzealous guards. Bombs blew up laboratories in colleges - even killed one or two. When they took over the deans office, they didn't leave. They were serious - seriously maladjusted. Most of those people never left academia and built the structure that has taken these young people hostage.
There are things that should justifiably anger us, and we have to deal with them... but to constantly live there is bad for the body and harmful to the soul.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr had something to say about the things on the minds of these people, “I have decided to stick with love,” he said, “hate is too great a burden to bear.” Rev. King had far worse things done to him than any of the over-privileged college students. He added, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
It's been said that hating someone is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. And, it is a poison – a poison to the soul. So when we see someone behaving this way, it does us no good to return the hatred. We don't have to agree with people like this, or take actions they are pushing us to do. What we see is a struggling human being, a hurting human being, and it will help neither of us to respond in kind even though we have to take some defensive actions if they pose a threat to ourselves, a threat to our families or a threat to our country.
One more thought from the king of rock and roll. Elvis, told us, “Animals don't hate, and we're supposed to be better than them."