Hate

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I don’t hate. Period.

I don’t know what it is. Like people rationalise behaviours, I rationalise emotions and reasons for hate. Let me take you through another one of my rabbit hole musings as I talk to you about why I do not hate.

People hate certain people. People hate certain food. People hate certain phrases and words. People also hate colours, behaviours, things, places, etc. I don’t understand how can somebody hate something.

Hitler. People hate Hitler. Now, I am not saying I am a fan, but have you read his autobiography, “Mein Kampf”? His views and beliefs were the product of his mentors. Just like anybody else’s. I am not justifying what he did. His actions were horrific. But once you realise that they were not independent of his beliefs, and that his beliefs came from someplace else, things get a new perspective. At least, it does for me. I detest his actions but not the man. See, I rationalise.

I dislike things. I do not hate them. I dislike “lady’s fingers” (Okra/Bhindi). But I don’t hate it. I just don’t like to consume it.

Is not liking something equivalent to hating it? I don’t know. Hate is too strong a word, too strong an emotion to be felt.

It wasn’t a problem until recently when I read somewhere that the things that you love and hate is what defines your personality. This got me thinking- I don’t hate things, but I do love a lot. I love coffee, for instance. Is my personality incomplete? Should I be having so strong, so rigid an opinion that anything that defies it should cause me distress?

I have gotten so far without hating stuff, why should I start now? Should I even care what my personality is? Wouldn’t that change who I am? Is that change necessary? Or is it a part of life? If it is, wouldn’t or shouldn’t it be happening sub-consciously? Am I over-thinking?

Wasn’t this post supposed to be an answer to these very questions? How did I come back to where I began?

Maybe I should just put the coffee cup down and go to sleep.