I HATE YOU!

I hate you!

That's sound so raw...so mean...so ugly...so uncalled for...so powerful...so wrong.

HATE

What a word.  What a phrase.

Webster defines is as

a : intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury

b : extreme dislike or antipathy

Though the opposite of LOVE, I'm not sure saying, "I love you", has the same "force" as saying "I hate you".

Maybe because, I love you is more commonly used & heard.

When you throw "I hate you" out there - it's like the wheels of the bus fall off...everything comes to a grinding halt.  The earth quits rotating...sun stands till...birds quit chirping.

It's that powerful of a phrase.

The word hate - similar to the word love - is greatly used as well.  As in, I hate collards...I hate it when it's hot outside...I hate Fords...etc.

But the phrase I hate you - now that's like reserved for very very very special occasions or people.

However

As you might know - that's not really why I'm writing this.  I'm certainly not writing to validate the word...or talk about the meaning of it...

NO

I'm writing to find out what it really means when used.

What does "I hate you" mean?

To even say the words...requires an emotional response within...a facial change of expression...even a change in your voice tone...

"I hate you".  It's so strong - it seems to get all over you when you really say it.

It's just plain ole nasty.

How do you know if you hate someone?

What does hate really feel like inside?

How is it played out against someone?

I once heard it illustrated like this.

A man, talking to a friend, said "I hate so & so".  The friend said "really?  Would you save them if they were drowning"?  The man answered "Yes - of course".  The friend's reply was "Then you don't hate them.  If you hated them - you wouldn't save them - you'd watch them drown".

Is that true?

Does hate want the destruction of someone or something?  Or maybe not actively wanting it - so much as passively allowing it?  Or, at least doing nothing?

Is hate a feeling or thought?

What is hate?

How do you know if you have it for someone?

Is it an personal ideology - lodged against someone...because?  Meaning, it doesn't really do anything - other than seethe in there...somewhere inside your heart or mind.

Is it acted out in words...Words that if acted on - would demonstrate said hate?

How do you know you hate someone?

As for LOVE, it's a verb.  It makes no sense if not acted out.  It's confusing as just words.

What about HATE?  Is it the same?

I think it would be extremely hard to really hate someone...to not save them if you saw them drowning.

But

When someone says, "I hate you" - what does it mean?  What are they saying?

If we truly hate someone...wow.

If we are a Christ follower - it's against EVERYTHING He stood & stands for.

Christ says it's impossible to have hatred & be His follower.

But - Christ's teaching aside.

Just the human condition.

Can we really claim hatred?  Can we walk through life with "that" living inside us - with it's cross hairs fixed on a person...family...race...etc.

What's that say about us?  What's it say about the person able to claim hatred toward another?

I'm just trying to get us to re-think our said position towards others...to re-think the junk we carry around in our heart...to re-think the things we say...

peace...


b