Loving What You Hate

[caressa]

DAILY OM

The Great Transformer
Loving What You Hate

Hatred can be irrational, and it has a greater impact on the individual who hates than the person or object being hated. Yet overcoming hatred is difficult because hatred reinforces itself and causes greater enmity to come into being. The most powerful tool one can use to combat hatred is love. Deciding to love what you hate, whether this is a person, situation, or a part of yourself, can create a profound change in your feelings and your experience. There is little room for anger, dislike, bitterness, or resentment when you are busy loving what you hate. The practice of loving what you hate can transform and shift your emotions from hatred to love, because there is no room for hatred in a space occupied by love.

Granted, it is difficult to forgo judging someone, love your enemy, and seek the good in situations that seem orchestrated to cause you pain or anger. But in deciding to love what you hate, you become one less person adding negativity to the universe. On a simple level, loving what you hate can help you enjoy your life more. On a more complex level, loving what you hate sets you free because you disengage yourself from the hatred that can weigh down the soul. Responding with love to people radiating hatred transmutes their negative energy. You also empower yourself by not letting their negativity enter your personal space. Rather than lowering yourself to the level of their hatred, you give the other person an opportunity to rise above their feelings and meet you on the field of love.

Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Loving what you hate sends a positive, beautiful energy to people while spreading peace and harmony throughout the planet. Instead of reinforcing hatred, you become an advocate for love. Hatred responds to hate by causing anguish. But hatred responds to love by transforming into blissful peace.

What do you think?

A lot of what I thought was anger and fear. It was enlightening for me to see that I didn't hate the person, I just didn't like their actions, their hurtful words, etc.

[majestyjo]

Under those feelings of anger were rejection, hurt, abandonment, resentment etc. When I quit smoking at 7 years clean, all those feels came up again. Cigarettes are great stuffers. Apply the NA program to your life. The insanity of this disease? Standing in the middle of your apartment, doing a jig with your legs crossed so you don't pee your pants, so you can light a cigarette so you can go pee.

I am powerless over my dis-ease and my life is unmanageable, when managed by me. The drug is but a symptom of my disease, the problem is me. Live in the solution. Just for today, I choose not to use.