Why I Refuse to Hate

Published on September 12, 2004 By Gideon MacLeish In Misc

So much discussion revolves around hatred, and many people question when it's justified to hate.

In my opinion, it never is.

Why I Refuse to Hate

In 1974, when I was far too little to comprehend, I saw my family torn apart by hate. Neither my siblings or I would ever have a stable life from then on to adulthood (for those of use who reached adulthood).

In 1978, I looked into the face of pure hate as my father told me at 8 years old that he never wanted to see me again.

In 1984, I watched as the hate that had inhabited our household for three years was taken away to prison in chains.

On December 29, 1986, hate took a beautiful 4 1/2 year old boy out of this world and broke my heart and those of all who knew him.

In 1988, the intervention of the state of Washington and the wisdom of a single judge prevented me from becoming a casualty of hate.

in 1993, at 19 years old, torn apart by hate, my brother turned his bicycle into a truck and took his own life.

In 1995, I watched in horror as hate took down the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City.

In 1998, I received the news of the hate that killed Matthew Sheppard in Wyoming.

Some few years later, I watched in horror as students hung out the windows at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

In 2001, I watched in horror as hate brought down the World Trade Center in New York City and crashed into the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

Just recently, I watched in horror as hate struck down 350 people, mostly children, in Russia.

Hate NEVER leaves a positive legacy, hate NEVER builds, hate can only kill and destroy.

respectfully submitted,

Gideon MacLeish

Comments (Page 1)

Manopeace

on Sep 12, 2004

Bless you Gideon!

Marvin Cooley

on Sep 12, 2004

I agree, hate gets you nowhere. And those who commit vile attrocities must be given the death sentence.

Sir Peter Maxwell

on Sep 12, 2004

As my father once told me - A man cannot learn to love unless he is capable of hate.

My father was a wise man.

SSG Geezer

on Sep 12, 2004

Very good article Gideon,
now if we can only find a break in the circle of hate we can break out of the cagew.

Angloesque

on Sep 12, 2004

Good blog.

-A.

olikara

on Sep 13, 2004

Gideon: I had wondered sometime back about what it was with you when I had written up a comment on someone's(mignuna's, I think) blog that family means everything and you said it was not for everyone.

But this blog does give me an insight of all what you have gone through, for no fault of your own. Yes, to be born into a family that is loving and sticks together should not be taken for granted. You seem to be there for your wife and kids all the time (and time is tough, now I can see). So you can rest assured that when your kids are your age and whether you're around or not then, they'll always have good things to say about you. There can be no greater gift.

Muggaz

on Sep 13, 2004

Passion can be a bitch Gid.

Respect brother.

BAM!!!

EmperorofIceCream

on Sep 13, 2004

To Gideon MacLeish:

Hate is not an abnormality, neither is it some 'fallen' part of ourselves. It's as much a part of human nature as love is, and like love it will never be eradicated from the world.

Hate between persons, between nations, between cultures. And at the level of nations and cultures hate has been far more beneficial to mankind that love could ever have been. Hate is the engine of war, and war in the 20th century has produced most if not all of the technologies that now define the ease and comfort (as well as the terror) of contemporary life in the West.

Hate instigated and defined the conflict that ultimately resulted in the destruction of the Soviet state and the birth of freedom throughout Eastern Europe. Hate between Islam and Christianity has been the source of those movements of thought, and the migrations of peoples, that have shaped the history of the West for the last thousand years.

Without the hate inspired by religion there would be no painting on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, no St Peter's Basilica in Rome, no Dome of the Rock, nor any of the marvellous works of theology and philosophy that were written to defend one culture against the depredations of another.

Without hate nation states could not exist - and without nation states there could be no embodiment of the principles and freedoms Americans so love in the Constitution of the United States.

As to hate among individual persons, to suffer it is painful and often has tragic consequences. But it's not love that challenges us to grow and overcome, love with its comforts and pleasures that are an antidote to, and a refuge from, the pains of life - it's hate. Hate drives us to overcome, to annihilate and destroy that which confines and restricts us, and is the natural and reasonable response to anything that threatens those things that we cherish most.

Wanting to break out of the 'cage' of hate is wanting to break out of the cage of being human - a pointless desire for an impossible conclusion.

Your 'refusal' to hate appears somewhat doubtful to me, and indicative of a man who does not know himself, in light of your own article (Link) which, in your own words, celebrates the death of another human being. Had you celebrated the possible death of a movement you despise, rather than the death of an individual who (whatever his faults in your eyes) was someone's son, someone's father, someone's lover, who as a person constituted a unique universe of thought, feeling, belief, action, I might be more inclined to take your assertion seriously.

But you didn't. You celebrated the death of an individual you did not know personally, who (so far as I am aware) had done you no personal wrong, had caused you no injury, and yet was still sufficiently hateful to you that you took joy in the news of his death.

Hate lives. Hate rules. Hate is forever and inextinguishably a part of the human condition. And the contradiction of this post by your own earlier one is proof, to me at least, of how inextricably hate is bound up in what it is to be human.

I find no fault in you for 'refusing to hate' while hating. My God made men to hate as well as love one another, and the act of hating is as unavoidable as is the act of breathing - no matter what the prickings of a libertarian conscience may insist to the contrary.

Gideon MacLeish

on Sep 13, 2004

But you didn't. You celebrated the death of an individual you did not know personally, who (so far as I am aware) had done you no personal wrong, had caused you no injury, and yet was still sufficiently hateful to you that you took joy in the news of his death.

Actually, it was only the TITLE that said "I don't normally celebrate someone's death, but..."

And Butler has indirectly done me wrong. I have had to live with followers of his and was raised in the hatred that is his legacy. Butler didn't do it directly, but he bears full responsibility for infusing hatred into parts of my family. I don't hate Butler, the only reason I'm glad that he's dead is that he can't continue to spew his racist filth. I wouldn't think it was wrong to be happy when Adolf Hitler died either.

I would call my response to people like Butler pity rather than hate. They have harmed themselves even more than others.

EmperorofIceCream

on Sep 13, 2004

To Peter Maxwell:

A man cannot learn to love unless he is capable of hate.

This is possibly the only intelligent thing you have ever said in your entire history as a blogger. If an inept fantasist and buffoon such as yourself can post an insightful comment there's hope even for the most seriously mentally challenged among us.

Congratulations. You appear to have successfully evolved from a nematode to a mollusc. Keep it up, and you too may one day be able to walk upright.

EmperorofIceCream

on Sep 13, 2004

To Gideon MacLeish:

While death is not usually something to celebrate, the death of this man, who long held reign as one of America's most notorious statesman for racial hatred, promises to continue the unravelling of this once powerful white supremacist group that began in 2000, when the group lost its church and 20 acre compound in a bankruptcy filing brought about as a result of a $6.3 million dollar civil suit brought about in response to the actions of some of Butler's guards.

Pity, like love, does not celebrate harm to another in any way at all. The fact that you celebrated this man's death as a possible cause of the unravelling of a group you find to be hateful does not alter the fact that you found the news of that death to be good. One of the characteristics of the hate you say you refuse to feel is taking joy in the harm that comes to one's enemies. And as a libertarian you cannot deny that you are the enemy of what Butler stood for, and by extension, that you were the enemy of this man while he still lived.

It is not possible to 'refuse to hate'. It is only possible to refuse to act on the basis of hatred. Whether those who refuse to act on the basis of hate are a part of a company of moral heroes, or a part of the meek who will inherit just enough of the earth to be buried in, is a different question.

Sir Peter Maxwell

on Sep 13, 2004

there's hope even for the most seriously mentally challenged among us.

Even your wife? surely not!

Gideon MacLeish

on Sep 13, 2004

I think you're confusing hate and anger. Hate is when one allows anger to control themselves.

Anger is, in the correct place, right and proper. Anger can drive a person to correcting wrongs, when it is properly directed.

It is right to say that I have long harboured ANGER with Butler, not hate. It is right to say that I am relieved that that anger is put to rest, and find such a cause for celebration. Yes, Butler was just part of the problem, but Butler stood as an eloquent and determined spokesperson for racial hate, and actively encouraged hate based violence against others; he had the level of influence that only a handful of individuals possess, and for that reason, I am relieved to hear of his passing, as relieved as I would have been if I were alive in 1945 and heard of Hitler's death (?) in the bunker in Berlin, as relieved as I was to hear of the capture of Saddam Hussein.

You make good points, emp, but I remain hopeful that we CAN rise above hate. Yes, it may be overly optimistic, but it should rightly be considered a goal to strive for, in my opinion.

The Crusaders

on Sep 13, 2004

Gideon,

You are are a shining ray of light to those who have experienced a life as yours and don't know any other way.....you are showing them that you can become a compassionate, caring person...you can break the cycle and make a better life for yourself and your children.
I feel it burning in my heart everyday...if only every child grew in a happy secure and loved family....the world would be on the road to peace and happinesss for all.....If only everyone recognised that life is more important than material gain........
You are right there up the top with the people I admire and respect in life, Gideon. Thankyou for being you.

On another note I may or may not have something that may help you out with your situation at the moment.....I'm not 100% sure that it will but you gotta try hey?! Have you an e-mail address so I can explain in more detail.....?

EmperorofIceCream

on Sep 14, 2004

To Peter Maxwell:

Even your wife? surely not!

See, this is what happens when you evolve too fast. You revert even more rapidly. Back to the slime, it seems in this case. And for a mollusc you were doing quite well, too.

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