Do we love to hate?

Man can be the most affectionate and altruistic of creatures, yet he's potentially more vicious than any other. He is the only one who can be persuaded to hate millions of his own kind whom he has never seen, and to kill as many as he can lay his hands on in the name of his tribe or his god. These are the words of Benjamin Spock, the 20th-c. paediatrician and author.

Hate is a strong word to express dislike. You could dislike someone without hating him. When you express hatred, that is an extension of your feeling of intense dislike, hostility and aversion, and it can manifest as revenge, abuse, violence, even killing.

Hence, it is prudent to tame the feeling of hate to turn it into a milder form of dislike that is not harmful. Sometimes it is fear of something or someone that makes you feel hatred for that thing or person.


It is said that hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. But how can one turn something you hate into something you love? Take, for instance, your work. If you learn to love your work, you will hate it no longer and you will not look for relief in your spare time after work hours. What if work itself gives you joy? Pablo Picasso was a great votary of work-love.

He was one of those who promoted the idea of learning to love what you do. This way, not only will you perform better, you will cultivate a positive attitude towards almost everything.