Hatred poisons the mind
Reader comment on item: Palestinians Don't Deserve Additional Aid

Submitted by Yonason (United States), Dec 21, 2004 at 19:50

It is obvious to any "sane" person that one does not support the perpetrator of violence at the expense of the victim, unless one hates the victim beyond reason.

One measure of how deeply hatred is ingrained, is how much evil one will overlook, against all evidence, and even when the hater is as threatened as the victim. When something blinds one to self-interest, it is a grave threat not just to the victim of the hate, but to the hater as well. The more harm one is willing to endure to sustain a baseless grudge, the more deeply ingrained it is.

Another factor is how extensively that hate is spread, i.e., how many haters there are.

How does one come to terms with a situation in which the haters are numerous, and are one's neighbors and friends?

How does one come to terms with what can only be classified as an addiction to an irrational and baseless contempt that only intensifies the more the victim suffers?

And how does one treat such a pathology that sufferers won't even admit they are infected with, and everyone else can't seem to believe is possible?

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