You have to be carefully taught...

[Hepburn]

...yep, carefully taught to hate. That seems to have gone on far too long in the U.S. in regard to things that "cut one out of the herd." Not white, male, straight, protestant??? Have foreign parents, born in another country??? Well, hey, choose any one of those differences and it seems that for years, way too many years, that justified a reason to hate.

Reading on the DU this morning ~~ I am on the West Coast and could not sleep cuz of bad pain with a very bum left knee. So I got up and looked for a cure ~~ and came to the DU to take my mind off how freaking much my left knee was swollen and painful....and something occurred to me.

There is just so much hatred in the world and it seems that it is hatred because someone is different and becase of that difference, that person NEEDS to be feared and hated. Why? What in the hell do I have to fear from someone who is different than I am? I just do not understand that. To me, it is just the opposite ~~ I have so much to LEARN from someone who is not like me. I already know about me and things like me ~~ I want to know about things that are NOT like me.

I am so proud of the DU...that careful teaching that I as a senior who was a child many years ago and saw way too much of when I was growing up in the 1950s ~~ DU is a prime example of the fact that things have gotten better. We are people and we can celebrate our differences and share our experiences. That is a good thing!

Barack Obama IS change. Never a mere 50 years ago could a black man be be the candidate of one of the two major US political parties for the office of President of the U.S. And the best part? He is a wonderful, intelligent caring human being who is going to be the next President of the United States of America!

I am smiling right now even tho my knee feels like hell ~~ just thinking of Barack as the POTUS and having Michelle and their children in the WH is the cure I needed to make the pain go away this morning!

:hi:

[Heidi]

1. Good morning, Hepburn!

I'm sorry you spent the night in pain, but I'm awfully glad you're here this morning. (And I agree with you 100 percent.) :pals:

:thumbsup:

[Hepburn]

4. Thanks for the hugs...

...I needed them this AM! I wish to hell there was some RX to cure hatred and prejudice like the pain pills work on my knee. Just makes it go away and not hurt so bad.

Can you imagine a world where people realized that no matter what the outside looks like, what the accent is, where the person is from, what religion he/she practices...that there simply is NO reason to hate just because that person is not a carbon copy?

I cannot imagine a more boring world than one filled with people EXACTLY like me...who the hell would I argue with? :shrug:

[secondwind]

2. There should be a law on the books in this country that prohibits

people from teaching their children to hate others. Racism SHOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW, DAMNIT.

[H2O Man]

3. Very good OP.

Nominated. This is an interesting topic, and reminds me of some of the lessons that I was taught as a young man.

"Hate" is, in its various forms, something that is not inherent in human nature. It has to be constantly cultivated, in order to be brought into being. Hatred is almost always the tool used by tyrants to control masses of people. The tyrant uses fear and violence in a manner that brings the masses into subjugation, and then identifies an "enemy of the state" that causes the people to forget their own low level of being, and to hate that enemy.

In this context, hatred flowers, and then becomes an energy force that demands existence. We witness this when we objectively look at those who hate: the individual that hates begins to show that hate in not simply his/her opinions, but in his/her actions and behaviors. The hateful energy consumes the person's being, and they actually become "hate" themselves -- the human machine fueled by the most base passions, the nadir of human potential.

Multiply that by the number of people consumed by hatred, and we find the ugliest examples of man's inhumanity to man. History is filled with terrible examples. And, in every instance, the nation consumed with fear, violence, and hatred consumes itself. In part, this is a result of self-inflicted injuries; but also, those who hate not only become "hate," but they become hated.

This is why we should not allow ourselves to transmit hatred. The very real differences between a hateful person and a non-hateful person were evident in the debate between McCain and Obama the other night. But to change the essence of our nation at this time, we need to stop hating, stop fearing, and refuse to be violent (except in self-defense). We can transform ourselves, and our nation. But that is the only way to accomplish such a transformation: it cannot be done on one level alone.

Sorry to ramble. Your OP reminded me of when I was young, and used to sit on a mountain, and talk to an old African man named Nigi.

[Hepburn]

6. Good Morning, H2O, my dear friend....

...and, yes, FEAR...the underlying factor of hatred and bigotry, racism and prejudice.

Why in the world should I fear someone who is different than me? I cannot understand that concept. I realize that I have much to LEARN from those who are different. Why should I or anyone fear learning something new? Guess that is a scary concept to some!

I totally agree with your comments on the debate from Friday night. To me, McCain's refusal to look at Obama was a product of hatred directed toward someone who was not like himself....simply because that person, Obama, was different.

BTW: You did not ramble...I always enjoy what you post! :hi:

[terrya]

5. Very good post, Hepburn. Recommended.

And sorry you're in pain today. I hope you're feeling better soon. :-)

[Hepburn]

7. Heya, terrya....thanks!

I need to go to the orthopod and see what gives with my knee...and get it fixed! LOL, that would be the smart thing to do...but, of course, I am NOT giving in and doing that!

:hi:

[madaboutharry]

8. Hepburn,

You have become one of my favorite posters here on DU. You seem like such a good and decent person. I wish I knew you in real life.

I hope your feeling better soon.

[Hepburn]

9. OMG....

...that is sooooooo sweet ~~ what you said to me. You actually had me tear up a bit...and for an old battleax like me to do that, well, that is a rare thing!

Thank you so very much! :hug:

[Kind of Blue]

10. Excellent post and greetings from San Diego!

Sending some pure positive energy to help ease away your pain.