BOWERS MUGABI KAWEESA: Redirect Hate. It’s a Slow Poison

Hate is too great a burden to bear. Hate is most often steeped in the idea that we have been personally wronged by the opposite party but harboring these thoughts and spending time with them weighs us down. Hopefully, as humans, we have the power to change the way we think, react and deal with these emotions. In our daily chores, we deal with humans; they ain’t no robots. They are prone to mistakes and I’d like to share some simple ways to move past one’s hate and to lift the burden that it brings.

• Consider the WHY. We should always first consider why we feel that this person has wronged us, ask ourselves whether the offense was truly harsh enough to cause an intense dislike for that person. If not, this should be reason enough to lift this burden.
• Keep yourself busy. Find things that make you happy and go after that happiness. Watch a ball game, call a friend for lunch, anything, so that you are not weighed down by hate.
• Change your outlook. Oftentimes in anger we look at a situation through frost-colored eyes. changing your entire outlook on a situation tends to change the attitude of your heart. Be more willing to forgive.
• Look on the bright side. Losing a relationship with someone you’ve put your trust in is hard, but remember that this also means that you’ve removed someone from your inner circle who probably didn’t deserve your trust – someone who didn’t have your back. Now that this potentially toxic person is out of your life, you will have time and space to truly live your best life. It also means that you’ve cleared space for someone who deserves your time and love.
• Just FAKE it! When you fake happiness and contentment for long enough, the chemicals in your brain can change. Eventually, you’ll actually feel and experience what you’re showing.
• Practice gratitude. If you catch yourself focusing on hate or anger, immediately stop and try to name 3 things you’re grateful for in that moment. Now, you have regained control over your day and can move forward in peace. The more you practice gratitude, the less control hate will have over you.
• For a lot of people, strong emotions are not something they like to keep to themselves. Before you upset your family and friends by posting all about your feelings on Facebook or sharing nasty quotes about your nemesis on Instagram, write an informed and rational article about it in private. It allows you to safely deal with your emotions in a safe space while releasing the weight that is hate.
• Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. The weak can never forgive. My old man recently said that ‘’forgiveness is for you, not for the other person.’’ This was after a nasty altercation with my supervisor. At the time, I could not fathom the idea of forgiving him. He was right. I’m happily refocusing on my goals and my life.

Hatred is a low and degrading emotion and is so poisonous that no man is strong enough to use it safely. The hatred we think we are directing against some person has a devilish way of turning back upon us. When we seek revenge, we administer slow poison to ourselves.