Love And Hate Essay, Research Paper

On Love and Hate

Historically, extremes in emotion and reason do not often mix. I am

thus cautious of attempting to comb through love or hate with reason. My

recourses are two: to (yes, using what reason I have) separate intellectual

thought from emotion; and to apply as little reason as possible without

ceasing to write.

It seems reasonable (sorry) to assume that emotion and reason have

nothing to do with each other. It also seems very likely that one cannot

exist with the other. They seem capable of cohabitation within a single

person, but fall upon differing objects. Are not the things we love or

hate not the things we understand?

Hate:

Hate is one of our reactions to a lack of understanding. We cannot

hate that which we understand. Hate is our frustration at failure to

comprehend. The more we understand something hated, the more our hatred

becomes sadness or pity, or deepens to a hatred of that which caused

whatever it was that we did not understand. In the latter case, the hatred

may increase with understanding, but the object of the hatred has shifted.

We are given a wide range of paths for dealing with our hatred, from

the altruistic to the reactionary. The altruists, wishing peace without

societal discord, tell us to repress our hatred and replace it with love, a

path bound eventually for emotive explosion and breakdown. The diametric

path gives us a series of smaller explosions with promise of emotional

stability as a result of constant expulsion of malefic urges.

Neither of these, or combinations thereof, are terribly productive

ways in which to deal with hate, as even the moderate paths deal with the

hatred only superficially and inefficiently. I see the only way around

hatred being understanding. Upon comprehension of the object of hatred,

one is either better equipped for the constructive removal of said object,

cooly and rationally; or no longer desirous of the removal. Either outcome

is fully satisfying altruistically. In the latter case, one must accept

simultaneously a bit of humility for having been mistaken as well as a bit

of pride for having become a bit more correct. This leaves one emotionally

balanced. The hatred is not repressed, but transformed. The same

emotional energy is simply working in a different direction. Upon the

removal of the object, the hatred is put to work in a positive manner

instead of simply lashing out half-cocked and possibly incorrectly.

The process is simply that of questioning: “why does this specific

situation exist?”, and “what can be done to cause this situation not to

exist?”. Realize that just as for every action, there is an equal and

opposite reaction; for every reaction, there is an equal and opposite

cause; and that nothing is simply either cause or effect, but everything is

both.

Love:

Ask the same questions, hope not to find answers, and don’t be

disappointed when you do. If you find understanding of the object of love,

it will no longer be an object of love, as love, similarly to hate, is a

reaction to a lack of understanding. The faster you find answers, the more

superficial the emotion. When answers come in the form of more questions,

you have a true indication of the intensity and thoroughness of the

emotion, and there is more likelyhood that when love finally disappears,

through comprehension, it will be replaced with respect and admiration

which you will find very easy to tell yourself is the same thing.

I am sorry if it seems I have advised you to processes that diminish

or destroy emotions; I have not. Emotions, contrary to poetic assumption,

are not permanent, but transitory (although it is certainly not impossible

for them to remain for durations exceeding a human lifetime). I believe

that the proper thing to do with emotions is to consummate them, not to

either prolong or shorten their duration, for one is stagnation and the

other repression.

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