Why do we find so much hate in the world?
People attack others for seemingly no reason other than their race.
We see the differences in others so easily.
We are not only divided more than ever, we seem to be attacking each other more.
The confusing part is that things are actually better in the world than at any point in the past.
There are no global wars and there is less domestic violence than ever before.
People have more rights than ever before.
The standard of living, while inconsistent, is still on average higher than it has ever been.
So why are we seemingly at each other’s throats?
Why are people using just about any excuse to hate another group of people?
It is almost never about what is happening on the surface.
How we act to another person is not really about them, it is about us.
What seems to be coming out, while directed at others, is really about our own fears and insecurities.
We are in pain.
Not just physical pain, but psychic pain.
The world is changing more rapidly than it has in recorded history, and that is a scary thing to many people.
The life we live today is barely recognizable from the life we lived growing up.
There is deep seated angst because of this.
We don’t know who we are and where we belong anymore.
How we define our tribe is different than it has been in the past.
It is normal to want things not to change so much.
It is natural to feel lost in this new world we live in.
Yet if we do not find the internal strength to come together, we will not be able to thrive in this new world.
Hate is not about hating another.
Hate is about our own pain and anger.
It is time to heal that pain and release that anger.
We all have to do our own inner work to be at peace with ourselves if there is to be peace in our world.
It is our responsibility to find a way for us to get past our pain and anger to a place of acceptance.
Acceptance of ourselves, of who we are, of what we have been through.
Pain is not a judgment of ourselves.
It is merely an experience we had.
Others may have caused us to feel pain, but that does not mean the entire world is filled with pain.
There is so much more.
There is joy and happiness.
There is kindness and compassion.
We only have to look for it to find it.
And for those who are so caught up in their pain that they lash out against others, we have to show them where they can find compassion.
For themselves first, and then for others.
How else can we end this cycle of violence against each other?
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant