Hate is the easy way; love takes effort & thought

I believe black lives matter.  I also believe blue lives matter — plus Muslim, Christian, Jewish, young, old, foreign. All lives! My heart breaks for last week’s victims. I weep and pray for each family that is planning a funeral instead of a celebration. Violence solves nothing.

Anger is the first step, which turns easily to hate. Tragically, revenge takes over with some act of violence, like Thursday in Dallas.

Hate is  a familiar word in our world. Headlines, newscasts and social media feeds make it easier to remember. Politicians create slogans that remind us of a hate-filled perspective on one issue or another. We have even invented new terms like “road rage” or “going postal” to describe/explain/excuse it.

Hate can be directed at any person, nation, government, group, business or cause.

How easy is it to shift the blame and then focus all our disappointments and frustrations on that target?

Hate is the easy way. To choose another reaction, love, is the more difficult way. It seems too hard to choose love in the face of traumatic loss.

Love requires us to stop before we go. When we react with love, we look at all sides of a problem, even the “other” side. We have to make ourselves listen with new ears and hear with a different heart. In the process, we often change our assumptions and give up our own hurts.

Love can be taught and learned. It is the Gospel of Jesus who command that we “love one another.” It requires much of us, even when it is most difficult.

If we choose to react with patience instead of ire, that’s a start. Compassion is another trait to practice: consider how the other person is feeling. Then kindness — a compliment instead of an insult builds many bridges.

— Katherine Jordan

Salisbury