Cultivating Peace in the Face of Hate
We’re entering the holiday season during a time of great conflict in the world. While conflict is ongoing and part of life, there seems to be a radical increase of hate fueling today’s global issues. Seeping through the crevices of society and into people’s hearts, hate is bringing out senseless, ignorant, uneducated, and uninformed reactions.
Many people who are harboring feelings of hate are acting on them, leading to widespread tragedy, sadness and fear. Our world is experiencing a deep, systemic exposure to the fallout of hate. If you’re like me, you’re feeling upset, scared, disillusioned, and even a bit hopeless.
What acts of hate have you been noticing in what you read, see, or experience every day? What emotions are being triggered in you as a result?
The Danger of Hate—and the Fear Behind It
The energy within the emotion of hate is dark, closed off, and constricted—it’s rooted in righteousness. Hate provokes a deep separation between us and others. It dehumanizes and justifies verbal and physical violence—even terror. The energy of hate gives us permission to see other people, races, cultures, genders, or religions as different and inferior.
One of the most dangerous aspects of hate is that it can be intoxicating. Hate increases adrenaline levels, creating an illusion of entitlement and superiority. Most people who are in hate-mode are grossly unconscious and falsely believe that their emotions and any actions associated are in service of a cause and mission. They develop convictions about right and wrong, and can become driven to act. And, when people join together in hate, a sense of belonging, community, and bonding emerges that is powerful and can be deadly.
Examining the Hate Within Ourselves
How can we break the pattern of hate in the world? It starts with us as individuals taking a hard and honest look within our own hate patterns.
Are you willing to examine the hate that you carry? Are you willing to transform it into compassion and connection?
To become aware of the hate inside of us, we first need to assess our own level of disconnect and dehumanization of others. What internal biases or views of otherness might you have? Which camp are you in, what is the “right” side you’re on, and what other views are hard for you to tolerate?
Now, let your feelings settle. Once you identify and acknowledge the hate that you might carry and how it is projected, sit with it for a while. Experience where it is in your body. Allow it to settle more and more. Become quiet with it, explore it, and allow the hate to become disentangled from you. From this place, a choice point emerges. You are confronted with the option to re-engage with the hate or continue to release it.
If we truly want peace on a large scale, we must be vulnerable and brave enough to make it a reality in our own homes. There is only hope if we are willing to assess the micro-hate we have in ourselves, and learn how to invite peace in. Small but consistent shifts towards peace and love can have a collective impact over time.
Challenge Yourself to Contribute to a Peaceful Holiday
The upcoming holidays are a time when emotions and conflict can escalate within our own families. Expectations, dreams, and hopes are all so high—and nearly impossible to realize. It’s very easy to slide into negative emotions and feelings of being let down or unappreciated.
Remember this: love, joy, generosity, laughter are not the responsibility of others to give to you. These life pleasures are the result of how you are showing up. Being present and working on your own sense of inner harmony will allow you to realize a truly connected holiday season where love and peace prevail.
Kristine Steinberg is the CEO of Kismet. She believes that your life should be deeply fulfilling — not tolerated. Partner with Kismet to dismantle fear, define your path, and lead with courage. Start your transformation today: www.thisiskismet.com.