To Hate or Not to Hate

I was at a gathering last night of loving, peaceful people.  The subject came up of a possible war in Syria that has been everywhere on the news outlets lately.  One woman expressed her heartbreak about seeing on the TV news bodies of Syrian children killed from the chemical weapons sprayed on the civilians by their own leader.  It created disturbing thoughts and feelings several in the group were wrestling with: to hate or not to hate the people who committed such unimaginable hateful atrocities.

We spent some time discussing the subject and came up with the consensus that if we were to hate the Syrian leader and his army, we would be on his same low level of hatred.  By hating, we would be creating a wall instead of possibilities of negotiation in the future. We would be separating ourselves from seeking a possible way of building a bridge from our heart to theirs.  By hating, we would be creating a need to defend our position, which would mean more hate and maybe having to use weapons.  As Martin Luther King, Jr wisely said "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars...Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Our group was also reminded of the Ghandi quote about being the change we want to see in the world.  We realized if we hated the Syrian leader, we would be multiplying hate and anger in the world instead of creating more love and reconciliation.  More peace in the world is what we want, so we need to begin that worldview from our own eyes. We must begin with our own thoughts about the world and the people in it.

Free Bonds of Hate: Peaceful Heart while Promoting Peaceful Action 

We spoke about the importance of freeing ourselves from bonds of hate, realizing that they create fear and separation.  We decided to promote the idea of supporting a blockade of arms and vigorously support the political process - particularly joint United National/Arab League envoy Brahimi - and a rapid convening of a Geneva II peace conference with all involved parties. We will promote justice and conversation, while praying for peace in our hearts and in the world that we choose to experience.