Stop the HATE. It's up to YOU and ME!

I love America, and it breaks my heart to see the hate that is dividing our country right now.

Some of the hate is obvious on its face, such as the Nazi groups, the KKK, and the White Supremacists. These are the lowest of the low, and we all need to quickly and absolutely disavow them.

But hate comes at us on many levels. It comes in the form of discrimination.  It comes in the form of self-righteousness.  It comes in the form of moral superiority.  Hate comes from both the left and the right, from both the rich and the poor, from all races, from all levels of education.

Hate manifests itself in many subtle ways. When labels such as “Liberal”, “Snowflake”, “Racist”, “Sexist” are applied to people or ideas solely to differentiate and alienate them from the mainstream, that is a form of hatred, AND IT MUST STOP NOW!

The politicians are not the source of our hate; they are a symptom.  Hate starts with the People, and Hate must stop with the People.  THAT MEANS YOU AND ME.  WE HAVE TO STOP THE HATE, AND HERE’S HOW:

• STOP SPREADING HATE.  Stop sharing Facebook Memes that are mean and are designed to spread hate and divide us.  When you share such memes, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

• STOP SPREADING LIES.  Before you repeat something you have heard, or share something on Facebook, do a little research to verify it is accurate.  A simple SNOPES lookup is usually sufficient.  Many of these lies may be based on, or contain, half-truths, but they are still lies!  Remember, a lie of omission is still a lie!

• CALL OUT HATE when you see it.   There ARE evil people in this world.  Those who think they are superior to others.  Those who think other races are inferior.  Nazis.  The KKK.  White Supremacists.  Terrorists.  Those who promote violence of any kind.  It is NOT ENOUGH to stand idly by. We must SPEAK OUT and denounce them wherever they are.  We must SPEAK OUT and denounce those who support them.  As George W. Bush, you are either with them or with us.  You cannot be both!  

HATE IS BORNE OUT OF MISUNDERSTANDING

Of course, your view of the world is unique to you.  It is completely normal for your opinions and views to differ from others’. But we all have to live together, and we cannot do that by attacking every person who does not agree with our point of view.

We are all a little prejudiced in one way or another. That’s human nature. We are initially suspicious of anyone who differs from us.  But we must learn to control our prejudices. And this is not easy.  But it can be done, and it MUST be done.

• Always try to see an issue from the other person’s point of view.  There is a reason that they feel the way they do, and you might feel the same way if you were in their shoes.  Don’t dismiss their opinions and feelings simply because they do not echo your own.  You cannot fully understand any issue if you do not understand both sides.  Many times, once you take a look at the other person’s viewpoint, your own view may change slightly or completely!   I have changed my views many times once I fully thought through all sides of the issue.

• Weigh the importance of their position to them to the importance of your position to yourself.  In other words, do I feel as strongly about my position as they do about theirs?  

• Does your view fall in line with our basic premise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”?  Our country was founded on these principles, and sometimes it is hard to realize that our view may be wrong; that our view is not in line with these core beliefs.

• How much will it cost you emotionally, financially, and morally to change your position?  Will your life change significantly?  Will you simply be uncomfortable?   Or will your life continue the same way regardless?

• Last, and certainly not least, just ask yourself this:  “What would Jesus do?”   

“United we stand; divided we fall.”   We all know that saying, but do we really give it any thought?

The United States has been the shining beacon of Hope and Freedom throughout the world. Our strength comes from our Unity. Indeed, our very name is based on that concept!  But it’s more than that. We are known as the “melting pot”.  We are made up of peoples from many different countries. We all have come to America and brought a little of our culture with us.  The term is apropos: If you drop a piece of butter into a pot of boiling water, the butter melts and becomes part of the boiling water. The butter is no longer distinguishable, but the water has been subtly improved.  So it is with our citizenry. So it is with America.   It is this diversity that gives us strength and acceptance.

So let’s stop letting a few individuals divide us.  We have to remain united and fight for our freedoms every single day.  And that starts with fighting hate.