Hate

Hate seems so small, compared to it all, so why don't you choose joy? I have Seen the World, Pearls Before Swine, from the album Balaklava
Th band cited above is one of those 60s groups that never really caught on and is now mostly forgotten. That's a shame. They made beautiful music.
I start with the above quote because U want to touch on the subject of one of our deepest emotions. Din't deny it. Everyone has something, and more importantly, someone they hate. If love exists, hate must exist. That's just the way things work.
Hate is a nasty feeling. It makes you smaller, because there is nothing constructive you can do with it. True, you can use it as a motivator, but it motivates you to tear down. not build up. Love is constructive and can build both things of great worth and beauty and relationships that will last forever,
Hate is small. It often, more often than not, grows from some small slight. Like a splinter in your finger, it irritates, then burns, then festers and erupts. There have been wars, devastating wars that have been started by small slights. Families have been ripped apart by a moment's lapse in behavior. Harsh words are exchanged, tempers boil over and the whole thing spirals out of control, all due to a momentary lapse on behavior or a word misspoken. The unpleasant irony of the whole thing is that the moment of insult is over at the very moment it is voiced. People are fighting over an echo of a bad instant.
The person doing the hating is carrying around a heavy load. It becomes all consuming and they gain nothing from it. They just waste their precious time and consciousness.
You are human and you will experience anger and, here and there, flashes of hate. Nothing you can do about that. But, you can keepthose moments brief. Think before you speak, . Turn the other cheek. Jesus said that if you disagree with your neighbor, you should try to work things out and, if you cannot do that, just stay away from them. Let the flame die down and realize this: you can ruin countless lives by giving into what is a brief and most often a small, petty thing.
If you are forced to fight, in defense of yourself and/or others, get it over quickly and do as little damage as possible, then forgive the offender immediately. This is beneficial to all concerned.
Hate really is a small thing when viewed in the light of the vast beauty of the Universe. Joy is Universal. It's your choice.