Can hate be healthy?
I believe just about any emotion can be bad when it controls your life. But self help gurus and religion often tell us to forgive and hatred is destructive, hurtful, and all around bad. Yet is it? We're told forgiveness is the path to healing, but is it absolutely necessary? Must we let go all our hate to find peace? If it's not consuming us, cannot hatred be a scab over an emotional wound? Many other emotions can spiral out of control and become twisted and destructive. Love turns to obsession or jealousy and sadness may turn into depression. One may say those are separate emotions, but they stem from what are considered natural, normal, healthy ones.
Speaking of love, it can be considered the opposite of hate. It's an emotion one expresses towards someone who is good, but since not everything in the world is good, isn't it natural to hate whatever you consider evil in the world? One may argue that's not hate, it's anger or disgust, but that's splitting hairs in my opinions, for those all emotions can be lumped together. If one denies those negative feelings, might it be unhealthy?
So just like any emotion, I contend that hatred has its safe and healthy levels. It has its time and place -- some people turn into worse people than they were before because of it and others channel it into something productive and therapeutic -- but when it or any emotion becomes an obsession it's time to find a nice, comfy couch and trained professional.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
--Ecclesiastes 3
Speaking of love, it can be considered the opposite of hate. It's an emotion one expresses towards someone who is good, but since not everything in the world is good, isn't it natural to hate whatever you consider evil in the world? One may argue that's not hate, it's anger or disgust, but that's splitting hairs in my opinions, for those all emotions can be lumped together. If one denies those negative feelings, might it be unhealthy?
So just like any emotion, I contend that hatred has its safe and healthy levels. It has its time and place -- some people turn into worse people than they were before because of it and others channel it into something productive and therapeutic -- but when it or any emotion becomes an obsession it's time to find a nice, comfy couch and trained professional.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
--Ecclesiastes 3