I Don't Understand Hate

A post was made yesterday that talked about the hatred and entitlement an individual felt based on her color.  As I always do, I went and researched on my own.  I didn't want to believe that she felt this hatred for someone simply based on skin pigmentation.  I didn't want to believe that those were her words.  I wanted to believe that it was taken out of context.  I wanted to believe that it just wasn't true.  I looked up her page, directly, and was saddened immediately.  It is true.  This hatred exists.  This pure, unadulterated hatred for someone based on skin pigment.

I.....don't.......understand.

It has never been about black or white for me.  I have never been handed anything easily.  My parents were teenage parents and had to work day and night (literally) to make a life for our family.  As an adult, I've never been handed a single thing.  I've had to work for every step that I've taken.  I've had to fight tooth and nail just to get by.  I don't work a job where I make some crazy amount of money.  I work constantly to make a life for my kids.  But none of this is the point of this post.  This comes across as angry and it's definitely not angry.  It's pure inability to understand why anyone would think that skin color means I'm given incredible privilege.

I can't grasp the concept of hatred, period.

I believe you have two choices in life.  You can let all of the strife and heartache you endure to harden your heart.  You can develop disdain for everything and everyone.  You can focus all of your attention on how unfair it is.  OR You can focus on what you do have.  You can choose to let the strife and heartache give you more compassion for others.  You can choose to let your hurts give you the knowledge to help someone else through their own hurts.  You see, hatred is a choice.  

I choose to love you anyway.

I'm sure my love for God is an extremely large part of why I feel this way.  If I'm being honest, it's not that I always understand it, but I know it's there.  I know that, deep down, the feelings of anger are usually fear.  The feelings of frustration usually stem from sadness and fear.  I can dislike people.  In fact, I can dislike them strongly but I don't hate.  Hate means that I can find nothing good inside of them and I believe that somewhere, deep inside of everyone, there is something wonderful.  I believe that people that do even the most heinous acts have some good somewhere deep down inside.  Does it mean they shouldn't be punished?  Of course not, their choices are still reprehensible.   Does it mean that they should be hated?  I don't believe so.  They can be loved while their actions are hated.  They can be prayed for even while we pray for the victims of their crimes.

You can hate me, but I'll love you and pray for you.

So for those that hate based on skin color (regardless of which side you're on), I will pray for you.  I don't mean that in some belittling way, as if I'm better than you.  I'm not.  I'll pray for your heart to be given peace and love.  I'll pray for you to be able to see your fellow man as an ally and not an enemy.  I'll pray that our differences will, indeed, create something wonderful that helps us to come together for a common good.  I'll pray that your heart can see you the way that I do....a beautiful soul.  I'll love you exactly as you are.  I'll love you even if you hate me; not because I'm entitled or better or I have a better life, but because I see your soul and it is beautiful, no matter how hurt it is.  I don't see your skin color.  I don't see your eye color or your hair color.  I don't see whether or not you have tattoos or piercings.  I don't see whether you have perfect teeth or teeth muddled from years of drug use.  I see YOU.  And YOU are beautiful.