Have you ever hated someone? Is it right to hate? Can you cleanse yourself of hate? Hatred is a powerful human emotion. It’s as old as human existence. But what has kept hatred alive and thriving? Many things, I would say. For one, there is a great deal of resentment among cultures, races and religions. Such resentment occurs when cultures, races and religions attempt to assert dominance over others. Naturally, such resentment thrives on differences and becomes a powerful tool that can be effectively used to breed hatred. Differences reinforce division. Differences are used as the basis for discrimination and exclusion. Hatred in is most dangerous form occurs when violence is used to reinforce differences. It has led to incredible loss of human life.
Think for a moment: Sheer hatred led Adolph Hitler to murder over six million Jews. Hatred was part of Hitler’s creed. His exhorted Germans to hate and hate again. He taught them that “the lesson of life is to hate and hate hard.” Hatred let to conflict in Kosovo, Ethnic hatred led to the systematic slaughter of nearly one million Tutsis in Rwanda by the Hutu majority. Who can forget the humanitarian crisis unleased in the Liberian civil war all because of ethnic hatred?
Even today in the Darfur region of Sudan, hatred rooted in ethnic and religious differences has given rise to genocide—the systemic, arbitrary, deliberate killing of more than a million people. In all of these instances, barbarism consumed people who had previously lived peacefully as neighbors. They succumbed to the temptation to slaughter without compunction, without remorse. They yielded to savagery.
Hatred is everywhere. It is alive in our homes, our businesses, our places of work, in our offices, clubs, in our neighborhoods. Even religious personalities hate. Some priests, pastors and believers hate, all in the name of the god they are supposed to worship and honor. Never mind the golden Commandment “love they neighbor as thyself.” Some profess their faith on the one hand and on the other their hatred.
Of course, many say it is the politicians who hate. Some are so hell-bent on securing power that they gradually become consumed by their hatred for their opponents. Then there are others who have faced repeated rejection by the electorate and who are unable to accept the verdict, so they resort to hatred of the individuals who they think are responsible for their rejection. They become bitter, personal and venomous.
Unquestionably, politicians are the easiest targets of hate. They are the easiest to blame for misfortune. Someone loses a job, or is required to proceed on retirement. The reaction is hatred for the individual they hold responsible. But even if this is understandable, does it merit hate? I can share with you many personal encounters with people who hate. I can tell you about those who shout, “Misye c’est un chien.” Or: “Mwen hayi nomn sa la.” So, too, can my colleagues.
Some of us deliberately nurse and encourage hatred. Some of us thrive on it because we believe it is one way to annihilate our opponents. Just look at the behavior of some of our media people. Some use their craft to nurse injured feelings to encourage hatred. Just watch their body language, the contortions of expression, the abuse and disrespect, the venom with which points of view masquerading as opinions and healthy criticism are expressed. The tools are subtle but on occasion quite blatant.
Equally insidious is the use of hatred to muster personal influence and support. People who are driven by hatred see no logic, adhere to no reasoning and justify violence as their creed. Politicians who encourage hatred will eventually pay the price; those who they nurse in hatred will turn on them. Hatred consumes not only the victim but also those who hate.
But do not misunderstand me. Let us not confuse political competition with hatred. I believe in political competition. I believe citizens should be offered political alternatives. I believe we must create an environment where citizens and political parties can engage in robust and yes, fierce and passionate argument and debate. I believe we can do all of these things without hating one another. To do otherwise, to think otherwise, is to pave a path to tyranny, intolerance and tribalism. We must not allow ourselves to be consumed by the fire of hatred.
One thing is clear. We must not fight hatred with hatred. True, when hatred produces war there is no other choice but to reply in like manner. Otherwise, hatred must be fought with tolerance, understanding, reasoning and peace. So, let us renounce hatred. Let us disown the messengers of hatred in our midst!
Editor’s Note: The preceding is from a commentary by Prime Minister Kenny Anthony when he hosted a radio program called Conversations with the Nation.
As an elderly statesman, I think Dr. Anthony should excuse himself from all elective political office. Rather he should concentrate on his memoir.
You might not find many refutations in this article concerning violence because the incidents cited were factual however violence is prone in societies where injustice and corruption are widespread. Dr. Anthony, did you do anything to correct or improve the judicial system in St. Lucia during your 15-year reign?