We can all agree that the two most powerful emotions in the world are love and hate. Indeed, every other emotion seems to stem from these two. Things like jealousy, longsuffering, greed, compassion, despair, and redemption ride in on one of those two thoroughbreds, love or hate. There have been many love songs written and performed throughout the years, from Mozart’s “Requiem,” to Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee,” to Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You,” the theme has been repeated over and over again through music. There is even a holiday dedicated solely to the joy found in loving other people, that brings with it a rapidly increasing extra bonus of giving gifts in order to show that love. Love seems to make the world go ’round, but does that make it more powerful than that dark horse candidate, hate? Or does that just make it more popular?
Hate has fueled most of the major newsworthy world events through the years. Think about it. If you look through the history books, you will find evidence of hate in events like:
1. The Holocaust
2. The Enslavement of Blacks (and others)
3. World Wars
4. Civil Wars
5. Military Conflicts (was Vietnam technically not a war?)
6. Hate Crimes (it’s even in the name!)
7. School Shootings
8. Serial Killing
9. Rape
10. Kidnapping and Torture
And the list goes on. Sadly, I know about these things because they are in the news all the time, right now, not just in the history books. But when was the last time you saw a news article about something positive, something loving, on the main page of the newspaper, or on any page for that matter? Unless it’s a fluff piece, or it’s buried on the last inside page of a section, it is very difficult to find love in the news. That’s because hate sells. Hate is more prevalent. And hate has lasting effects that feed off of each other, leaving utter devastation and an indelible handprint on the world. Hate is unavoidable if you live in this world, and that’s not something you can say with certainty about love.
So, does that mean hate is stronger than love?
“Why you gotta be so mean?” -Taylor Swift
That’s a tricky question. Love is decidedly more popular. People do many amazing things for love, even if those things aren’t publicized. But people also go to extraordinary ends to show others how much they’re hated as well. Teenagers are setting up Facebook pages for the express purpose of torturing other teenagers, for the most trivial of incidences. They thrive off it, the response to it, and the build up. Adults are posting videos to youTube of practical jokes that aren’t funny, of people being hurt and others laughing at them. This is hate, pure and simple. And it’s everywhere. It is undoubtedly strong enough to drive people to suicide , extensive therapy, and mental institutions. It can also pit father against son, mother against daughter, and sibling against sibling, what are supposed to be some of the strongest bonds you can create and sustain with love. Yet hate can and does rip those bonds to shreds over misunderstandings, and over irreconcilable decisions.
And we throw the word around like it’s a bag of Skittles we’re feeding to our dog. “I hate this test.” “I hate Mondays.” “I hate Kim Kardashian.” By doing this, we dull our senses to the ferocity the word should engender in us. It’s like overuse of the word “bitch,” and how it changes the meaning for us. But we forget that not everyone knows that the word means less for us now. They know that we used the word, and they know how strong the emotion is, even if we don’t even mean that emotion. That’s what can really lead to misunderstandings, things that sometimes never get resolved. Which is so sad, but true. I do my best to avoid the word at all costs, because by giving voice to it, I create the monster that then feeds without me. Amazingly enough, the same has gotten to be true with love as well. Love and hate are not opposites, by the way. The opposite of love is apathy. Hate has no opposite. It just is a black hole with no redemption, no light at the end of that tunnel, no going back.
Yes, hate IS stronger than love, because we make it that way. We show how important it is through our treatment and constant featuring of it. When most of the major historical events in our world involve intense hatred, it speaks volumes. I liken it to money. All money is happens to be paper and metal. We ascribe value to it, though, and people believe it has that value. That’s the power of the human zeitgeist, the belief system and the propagation of that belief system. We show our belief in the ultimate power of hate every time we publish those stories, every time we talk about it on Facebook, every time we tweet it, every time we talk with our friends about it around the water cooler. When was the last time we featured love and it wasn’t Valentine’s Day? So, yes, hate is stronger than love, but only because we allow it to be. We can reverse that trend, but we have to believe it.
Do you believe?
Sam
Sam's Online Journal 
I believe. If we want love to be stronger, we must use it, practice it. Good can be contagious.
I completely agree.
I love the graphics used in this piece. Good job.
I also love the way you accurately pointed out that hate is not the opposite of love; apathy is.
I think hate appears to be stronger than love because God is love and He gives us free will.
On the other hand, anyone who chooses “the dark side” will manifest hatred to some degree, because the enemy of our soul has an agenda that is blatantly anti-God. Follow the path of hatred and you will ultimately hate yourself, because you are God’s handiwork. And the devil hates that handiwork, i.e. us!
Thanks for a good read, Sam!
That’s exactly right. It’s all about appearances, and about what we as a society value. But I think love is making inroads into that thinking. It’s just difficult. And you’re welcome.
Woah that was deep and i totally agree with you it makes perfect sense and I never knew untill now, but I’ve always been that way where i neither hate or love i just let the energy flow. That was an awesome comment, you made my day. 🙂
I think that love is not directly connected with hate. Love and hate can both be powerfull and even used together, you could call this insanity, but once you really know how to controls those 2 emotions, it becomes the most fatal way of thinking,Imagine yourself for a moments That you love to hate and you hate to love, create an emotional paradox that have leaded me to mental stability(Exemple, 2 people loving each other will (normaly) leads to hate with time. 2 people fighting each others will lead to love with time, If one is loving and the other hate, it will lead absolutly nowhere )From my perssonal experience,i can tell you this feeling is not a good feeling, its not a bad one either, you just feel empty,Also time have passed really slowly (but the longer the emotional drop is, the stronger the wake will be )With time, i stated myself to “reverse” all of this emptyness and it actually. Now i’m currently seeking a point in life. I dont love anymore, its just the way it is, like a constant energy flow. I dont hate anymore, i’m just waiting till the day i will, just like a nuclear bomb.
Hate is by NO MEANS stronger than Love. It isn’t the weakness of Love that has allowed hate to harm so many humans. It is the weakness of humans. When we let go of our anger, hate, & attachment, we can begin to approach enlightenment. If we fully embrace the Power of Love in doing so, we can become immune to the power of Hate and expose how laughably weak Hate truly is in comparison to Love
The problem is that hate and love ARE tied up and twisted with humanity since we are the ones who control and are controlled by those emotions. If we as humans are weak, then we as humans allow hate to be stronger than love in our individual lives. I like the idea of fully embracing the power of love, but how do we do it? You yourself said we are weak.
Hi Sam
Hate is stronger than love in many people, many of us ( humanity) because of hurt and pain. Jesus taught to forgive even our enemies and he is the Son of God. Or God himself according to Christianty. So we humans are not God,we are not Christ, we can TRY becoming Christ like and reality is that we are not. So if we learn to heal the hurt and the pain, accept that we are humans not God, what ever the concept of creator/s we have. So healing is not easy. Not only takes time it takes understanding of the real causes of the hurt and the pain, for example that we meet people to “teach us a lesson” or that we “reflect” what we are, so we need self acceptance, self love which we might not have learned from ill equipped parents(or parent figures) who in turn did not love themselves ( alcohol, drug addiction, abuse verbal and physical, lack of respect, is a chain reaction, learned patterns of behavior and genetics create more in new generations).
Any how we can learn or relearn love which is acceptance, understanding we humans are not perfect and to forgive ourselves, to commit to stay and work through difficulties rather than to run away or get a divorce for example, or leave the other person who can be a friend a lover a son/daughter a parent and ultimately oneself through suicide.
Of course an ill society creates ill members, and these in turn perpetuate the hate cycle. How to change it?
I believe it has to do with learning to love=accept forgive oneself, heal the self once this is accomplished it can expand to others and society. A balanced physical ( exercise and nutrition), mental ( positive thoughts looking for at least 1 or 2 then expand good experiences a day), emotional ( focusing on the good feelings of the self and humanity), social(good communication with self=internal dialogue, family and friends), financial( producing what is needed for a good life without greed or creating more to Share with others in need because they are ill), environmental( maintaining earth as a clean planet) and spiritual health( a good feeling and connection with past family members=ancestors, friends that are dead and ultimately with God=life) is the ideal health.
It is not easy yet it becomes easier with practice. Finding people who want and need the same thing. Finding a happier outlook in life. Music and dance do wanders for the self and could be a starting point, leaving drugs and alcohol out of course. Forming self help groups for healing and support.
No
I think anger is stronger than love but if people actually did more good in the wor.d instead of being morons love could be stronger
Hate is powerful. It helped me through a failed marriage that happened without warning or explanation, she said she wanted a divorce and was out in two days. I spent 2 years completely broken and severely depressed because I wanted her back she even said twice she would like to try after the third time and she changes the again. While I was asking my god “the star of the morning” the dragon what to do it came to me that I’ve been so stuck on wanting here back that I became tied to the whipping post. When I should have been feeling anger and hate, no I don’t turn the other cheek I seek ways to destroy my enemies and anyone that gets in the way of me doing my will. But couldn’t give her the hate she deserved. Then while reading a flood gate opened up and drowned her with every bit of hate I felt for her once I admitted it I was relieved happy and just comfortable in my skin. Part of that cathartic moment was writing her an e-mail, that the marriage was a bad idea, that I had doubts but they would go away, and we would end before long. And it happened not how I saw it but ended none the less. But telling her what a piece of shit she was she’s scheduled for surgery and I wish I could say it’ll be okay but I actually didn’t care actually wished she would die on the table, I listed every shitty things she’s done and said to me and I didn’t respond the way I should have. I feel so free I walked in the park this morning listened to the birds watch leaves hugged a tree perfect day the best in years all due to intense hatred of a person. My belief system teaches you to not turn the other cheek but destroy your enemy, financially, ruin his marriage, tell everyone you know his dirty little secrets. So I don’t believe any Judeo/Christian/Islamic belief system would tell me it’s okay to hate and hate viciously. The only sin is restriction, restricting a person from doing their will or restricting your self because you are in love the other is stopping your will to ask why
If will stops and cries why; invoking because then will stops and does naught.
The fairy tale god would have me continue to grovel and beg this despicable person to take me back for the rest of my life. The dragon said pour your hate on her as oil and strike a match (metaphorically speaking) we don’t burn people that was a Christian thing. So I’m a happy man I enjoy being alone in my house love being able to and go where I want why I want for as long as I want without discussion or sarcastic have fun in the desert…I owe this to the real god the one you see his handiwork every day across the globe the one that if you look around you’re more likely to believe because you can see what he does.
That other God, doesn’t seem to give a shit he’s napping. I say we accept the god where we can see his work as gruesome and cruel as they are, but that’s his nature him doing hiss will
Do what though will is the whole of the law
Liber L Legis revealed to the Beast
93.
Try Satan and stop whining. or as I like to say keep calm and hail Satan
Love is stronger than hate because love builds civilizations and people but hate destroys civilizations and people if hate was more powerful mankind wouldn’t exist neither would there be any civilizations because all would be destroyed