With so many words to choose from in the English language, it is amazing how one four-letter word often creeps into so many conversations.  Over the course of the day, many people will use this scathing word even though their intentions may not evidence its true meaning.  Whether it be the grind of rush-hour traffic, the lack of hot water in a morning shower or the bitter taste that follows the sip of a diet soda, so many people claim to hate something or other.

The word hate means to dislike something intensely or passionately, yet it is amazing how casually that word is tossed around.  At times, it seems as though it is nearly a subconscious response.  Something unfavorable will immediately trigger the mind to articulate a hateful thought.  Now, every time that word is uttered, it isn’t always in a breath of malice.  Nevertheless, by simply claiming to hate something, we are inadvertently adding to the air of pessimism that fogs up our world.

An example of that can be found in our systematic responses to everyday questions.  When asked about various parts of our day, we are often prone to divulging the negative aspects of our lives.  Instead of focusing on the positive things, we feel the need to gripe about the things that did not go our way.  When in reality, things could always be much, much worse.

Another instance I find staggering is the fact that people continually claim to hate other individuals.  To truly hate someone takes a venom that chars the soul and blackens the heart.  Perhaps even more disturbing is the emphasis some individuals will place upon that word whenever it resounds.  But I won’t waste time denouncing those who are so corrupted by evil that hate guides them through their daily lives.

Those of us who are not inherently evil use the word hate on a more innocent level.  Although we may say we hate something or someone, we truly do not dislike them with an intense passion.  We don’t often mean what we say on a literal level, but does that then turn us into liars?  Perhaps we substitute the word hate for a lack of happiness in our own lives.  Our discontent breeds outwardly and mutates into the form of negative thoughts directed towards someone or something that may not be as guilty as our tongue would charge.  Furthermore, it is not difficult to utter that four letter word that carries such a negative connotation.  But there is another four-letter word with an opposite meaning that is often one of the most difficult words to say.

While hate may be easy to pronounce, the use of the word love is a far less frequent occurrence.  Love can also be used in a casual sense throughout the course of a day. But what is truly stupefying is how one individual can continually claim to both love and hate.  Love is defined as a profoundly tender passionate affection for another person.  If such a thing can be felt, how can that same person turn around and dislike another with the same intense passion? It is almost a contradiction in terms.

I am not naïve to the fact that the occasional bump in the road will disrupt our path through life.  Certain incidents will invert our smiles and spawn a frown during some point of our journey. However, carrying hate along with us will make for a less enjoyable trip.  To hate is to find the negative root of a person and to hate a thing is nothing short of absurd.  For how can we passionately dislike an inanimate object?

So the next time you lend your ears to a conversation, listen for the battle between love and hate.  The latter usually emerges as the winner, but that reality turns all of us into losers. For the more we fill the world with hate, they less likely we are to love.