Vedanta - Hate Hurts Hater Too

ASIF JALAL





According to the social psychologist Erich Fromm, the first step in understanding our destructive disposition is to recognise the two kinds of hate inherent in humanity .One, `rational hate', which is expressed in reaction to a threat to one's own freedom, life or ideas. It has a biological self-protecting function and isn't against life but for life.This type of hate is manifested in the cry of a baby who is hungry . Two, `irrational hate', which is a trait inherent in some people and is marked by the readiness to be hostile to others. This is a passion to cripple life and its practitioners don't wait for an incident to occur, they create it.
Destructiveness is the outcome of the unlived life. A destructive person violates the principles of life in himself as well as others. This truth was revealed to Esarhaddon, the king of Assyria, when he intended to execute King Lailie after destroying his kingdom.
A wise old man told Esarhaddon, “I have let you see that in doing evil to others, you have done it to yourself also. Life is one in all, and yours is but a portion of this same common life. You can only improve life in yourself by destroying the barriers that divide your life from that of others, and by considering others as yourself. You injure your life when you think of it as the only life.“ Indeed, a destructive person is unhappy even if he has attained the aims of his destructiveness.