Are We a Fear-Mongering, Hateful Society?

Aristotle stated that, “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.”

It was during the 300 BCs when there was distrust, hatred and anti-Macedonian sentiment that Aristotle made this quote. If he were here now, he would still be saying the same thing.

Throughout the ages, many influential leaders have tried to promote love and understanding. Nelson Mandela sacrificed almost 30 years of his life to his beliefs. He is quoted saying, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

I was born in the 60s, in the era of ‘flower power’ and ‘make love, not war’; during the time of protest to end the Vietnam war, unfair treatment of different races, in particular blacks, and to bring equality to women. It was during this time that John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, who spoke about inequality, hatred, and prejudice, whose lives were ended by others living in fear.

The 60s liberated oppressed groups in the United States, yet, society has more laws and a stronger justice system in place for those who are of certain race, culture, religion or sexual orientation to be protected. If this decade of revolution and social change made a difference, people would have changed their attitude towards others that are different rather than just being forced to suppress their true feelings. Influential leaders such as, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, John Lennon, and so many more, have tried to teach us to love one another yet, over the centuries, there are still some that preach the opposite.

When there is a leader who does not encourage this ‘love thy neighbor’ attitude and promotes self-preservation instead, this fuels the underlying hatred towards minorities and those different to other’s idealism of acceptance. Currently hearing phrases like “’These aren’t people. These are animals,” and “They’re bringing drugs, crime and are ‘rapists,’” the leader in this free world has given permission to not only feel this way about others but also to say and act accordingly. As a result, fear-mongering is now in the very forefront of everyone’s lives.

Mahatma Gandhi states that when “fear is gone, there can be no hatred.” How do we abolish the need to suppress hatred and live in a world that accepts those who are different?

To be able to do so it is essential to understand the difference between fear and anxiety. Fear is when there is a confrontation by something tangible. For example, being held against your will, when someone plans to rob you. Anxiety is the emotion of only the perception that something terrible could happen; not that it has or ever will. Fear-mongers prey on the anxieties we feel when we are afraid. If we think of Eastern philosophy, Buddha taught that, at the base, all beings experience a state of anxiety, fed by one’s primal animal response which arises when feeling threatened. Both fear and anxiety have the same physical reaction but, it is when facing this most basic state that Buddha reaches the ultimate truth in knowing that he does not need to fear the world. (“Sutta on Fear and Dread” in the Majjhima Nikaya)

We do not need to be a Buddhist monk nor, for that matter, believe in Buddhism, but we all can make a choice, as he did. At the very moment when we read or hear or see something, we can choose what our thoughts, feelings, and actions will be. We can take control and ask some pertinent questions such as, “Why am I feeling anxious?” “Is the perception real or not?” “Do I need more information?” “Can I believe what I am seeing?” When we ask these questions, we can mitigate the need to feel anxious and feel the strength of knowing we have the power to chose to or not.

One of the most peaceful and loving women stated, We “alone cannot change the world, but [we] can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” It is time to listen again to Mother Teresa and all those other great leaders who tried to (or are still trying to) make a positive difference in this world.

And just maybe prejudice, hatred, and anger will dissipate one thought at a time, one feeling at a time, and one action at a time.

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