Thursday Thoughts: Hatred

Let me start with this: I am a Jew.

Now that may turn off some readers, and it may also draw others closer.

But this article isn’t just about Jews, no matter where or who they are.

     It’s about hatred.

     That ugliness that seeps into one’s bones.

     That crawls along arms and legs to strike out at others.

     That allows someone to think some are less worthy than they are.

     That pushes pain and suffering onto them for no reason.

     That too often kills them dead.

For no reason other than that they are different.

It doesn’t matter how they’re different – they could be older, younger, taller, shorter, darker, lighter – but their difference is seen as wrong, not good enough, not worthy.

I was watching a golf program I’d saved on my DVR, and I was stunned to see a “commercial” that showed the picture below. And because I’d saved it, I could pause the screen to take this picture.

It didn’t start that way – it showed several screens of other all-too-common targets of hate – Blacks, Jews, other religions, minorities, ethnicities, LGBTQIA+ – and it ended this way.

For me, it’s a powerful reminder that although I am Jewish, I am not alone in being a target of hate.

I am not alone in having brothers and sisters around the world who would help me as I would help them.

I am not alone in wanting to stop all hate and live with love and kindness.

And one reason that it’s easy to believe others agree with me is the blue box you see above, which is shown on so many LinkedIn profiles.

Not all who show it are Jews.

But I believe they are all stating “I Stand Up to ALL Hate.”

I hope you do, too.