Hate--and Happiness

Among the long list of things that make men unhappy, none is more damaging that hate

in the human heart. And with all the other elements of which happiness is made, all of them

together cannot make happiness without love in the human heart. Many elements of

unhappiness – ill health and hurts and hardships, jealousies, anger, envy, failure,

discouragement, resentment against injustice – all these are difficult at times to bear, and may

at times seem all but unbearable. But in all of them together there is not so much unhappiness

as the unhappiness that comes with hate. Even some deeply serious sorrows may have in them

an element of sweetness. At least there are sorrows that mellow men. But there is no

sweetness in hate. In hate there is only harder hardness. Even punishment in hate misses its

purpose. With hate we can hurt or harden a person or crush him completely. But the discipline

that more likely leads to repentance and improvement is “by persuasion, by [patience]…

[sometimes] perhaps with sharpness… but showing afterwards an increase of love toward him

who has been punished least he [become bitter].” There may be some who deserve to be

hated, but there is no one who can afford himself. It is a poison in a literal, physical sense.

Besides its mental, emotional and spiritual effects it does damage to the physical make-up of a

man. Hate destroys the other virtues. With it there is no peace, no happiness. With it there is

meanness from man to man. These are foremost among the commandments: “Thou shalt love

the Lord thy God with all thy heart,… and they neighbor as thyself.” We may give alms and admonitions; we may keep other commandments, but without love there is hardness in the

letter of the law; without love the hearts of men are hollow; but with it all things may be made

bearable. But he who lets hate have hold of him will live in unhappiness.