It's Hard To Hate Up Close

There is a certain human flaw that has been showing its ugly face more and more.  It is nothing new but I seem to be hearing about it more in the news, in blogs, on facebook and other media outlets.  Every time it causes such a stirring of frustration inside me.  This flaw has many names - hatred, racism, bullying, prejudice, ignorance.  This flaw comes out of many intentions - fear of the unknown, hatred for those who are different, out of "love."  Not matter what you call it, no matter what your intention is, the plain and simple truth is - it is wrong!

The stories are endless.  A hate crime being committed against someone simply because of the color of their skin.  An overweight person who struggles with motivation because of those who make fun of them.  A high school student takes his own life because his peers make fun of him for being gay.   We look at someone who dresses differently than "the norm" and we automatically make assumptions about the way they live their life.  We place harsh judgments on those who drink, or smoke, or do drugs, or struggle with an eating disorder.  Those who practice a different religion or faith than ours are shunned.  We see it every night on the news.  It turns my stomach every time I hear of someone who took their life because death was a better option for them than the life they were living.  Let that sink in for a moment.  What some people experience in life is so bad that they would rather cease to exist than to live one more day in their own hell. 

My point is not to be "pro" or "anti" any of these issues.  Yes, some choices hurt people and we should do our part to help them but it has to come from a place of true intention and love.  It all comes down to how we treat people.  No matter what anyone is going through in their life, what they struggle with, the choices that they make - we are not helping in any way if we throw hatred or disgust or anger in their face.  Many who disguise gossip as a prayer request need to simply be silent and look within instead of fulfilling their own self righteous need. 

I definitely believe that ignorance plays a large role in this problem because people are scared of what they do not know.  Defining ignorance is simply being uninformed, unaware, or uneducated on a particular subject.  When someone is different than us, it makes us uncomfortable and our tendency is to push away instead of draw near.  I heard a quote recently that I love.  It's hard to hate up close.  It is very easy to hate, to bully, to disrespect, to assume from far off.  That is where ignorance comes into play.  But what if we chose to take a moment and listen.  To try and understand where a person is coming from.  If we get to know the person for who they really are instead of the label that we have placed on them - I am confident that it would change how we treat them.  Again, whether or not you agree with the issue is not the issue at all.  But education really does tear down walls and can change how we view certain aspects of life.  It's hard to hate up close. 

My challenge to you is this:  Find someone who is different than you, who thinks differently than you, who believes differently than you, who looks different than you.  Find a way to spend time with them and as you learn more about their life, about their story, see what happens inside of you.  It is a way for us to step outside of our own comfort zone and expand our view on the world.  I know that this is not a light-hearted, funny blog - but I have been so impacted by the stories that I hear of those who struggle and even give up on life because others chose to hate instead of show true love.  Yes, I know that we live in an imperfect world but we can each do our part to make change happen.  Let's be a part of the solution instead of the problem.  Let's lead by example for those who look up to us.  It goes back to what our momma taught us - if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.  However, some of us need to speak out on behalf of those who do not have the courage to do so.  We need to be a friend to those who feel as if they have none.  As a society, we have come a long way but it does seem as if we still have a long way to go.  We never know the impact we have on someone's life - both good and bad - so make the right choice and show someone that they matter.  Be a part of the change.