America will not be great until we learn how to stop hating one another. We have to work daily to turn down the level of anger and hate in our lives.
If you hate MAGA, you’re part of the problem of what is wrong with this world.
If you hate Liberals, you’re part of the problem of what is wrong with this world.
The problem isn’t politics. The problem is hate. If you hate , then you are adding to the amount of hate in your daily life, and to the amount of hate in our country.
It is easy to hate Trump and his followers, just as it is easy for them to hate Democrats. But what is the end result of all this hating on one another? Is it a better country?
The end result of all this hate in our society is more hate in our society. How does that make things better? It does not.
Worse, hate destroys the vessel it grows in. Hate towards others with differing views can make one feel superior, even self-righteous, but hate is never righteous. Hating other humans only adds to the amount of hate that already exist in the world. At times, hating can even make you feel good about hating. It can make you feel so much smarter than those horrible people who disagree with you. It can make you feel more moral, more kind, more… well …. better …than those evil people who disagree with you. And they must be evil to vote for (or against) Trump, right?
Well, no.
Are there some racist or otherwise supporters of bad character on both sides? Yes. Does this mean that no good, decent people voted for the other side? No. This is not to pretend there is moral equivalency on both sides. I’m just pointing out that not everyone who votes differently from you is a bad person or should be hated.
Why? Because how does your anger and hate of other Americans serve you? Is your anger, bitterness, and hate making your life any better? Is your anger, bitterness, and hate making your life better, or is it making your life worse?
The answer to your dilemma of perpetual anger and perpetual outrage and perpetual hatred is …. love. Even Jesus told you to love your enemies! You do not love your fellow citizens when you verbally (or physically) attack or demean them (and are fellow Americans really our enemy? If you believe so, then you may want to see a psychologist and work that out). If you are anti-Trump, next time you feel anger and hate toward those who voted for Trump, consider thinking about one Trump supporter you personally know and think of at least one or two good things about that person. Perhaps they are kind to their children and others. Perhaps they served in the military and love our nation. Don’t finish this exercise until you have come up with several good things about that Trump supporter. If you voted for Trump, the next time you feel anger or hate toward Democrats, think of at least one Democrat you know and find at least one or two good qualities about that Democrat. Are they hard workers who are good providers for their family? Does that person have a strong religious faith as many Democrats (and Trump supporters) do? Are they good parents to their children? Perhaps they served in the military (as many Democrats do) and love our country. Find at least a few good qualities in them. Then meditate on their good qualities for a few minutes. Did you notice your anger towards “the other side” diminish? Were you able to imagine at least some supporters of the other side as decent Americans? If not, then you should return to the exercise and practice it longer. Most Americans will find their level of anger and hatred of the other side diminished when then take their thinking out of the abstract and focus on individuals they know and who they otherwise respect.
One thing to always remember: Kind and loving people are kind and loving, regardless of how others treat us. We are kind and loving because that is our nature – it is not dependent on others responding the way we want them to. We are kind and loving not because of how others act, we are kind and loving because that is who WE are. We do not need an excuse to love our fellow humans. This is how love will conquer hate: by Americans focusing more of finding a reason to love one another instead of focusing on reasons to hate one another. Hate never made any country great. Hate only destroys the people and the nations that hold onto it and who feed it.
What do you choose to feed today? Anger and hate, or love and kindness? The one you feed will grow stronger. The one you starve will grow weaker. If you hate Trump and his followers or hate Democrats, then you are only adding to the hate in our country, and you are adding to the anger and hate in your own life. You are destroying both yourself and the nation we all love.
Until we learn to practice love in all our interactions with others, even when others are not loving, then we will not make ourselves or our nation better, no matter who we elect. Kind people are kind no matter how others behave – eEven if others are hateful or cruel. You can speak truth to power without promoting hate or cruelty. Love and kindness are more than words, they are actions. Loving people are loving even in the face of hate. Find the good in those who supported Trump and in those who supported Kamala Harris. We must tone down the hateful rhetoric and the cruelty towards our fellow Americans. What good is scoring ‘points’ and hurting the other side merely to hurt or humiliate them? They are our fellow citizens. We are going to have to live together in peace if we want a better America for our children. We – Republicans and Democrats – all want the same thing for our children. We all want a nation at peace that is safe and prosperous – we just disagree on how to get there. Beware of those who seek to divide and pit Americans against one another.
America cannot be great, unless America is also good. We owe it to one another to focus on how each of us can act, and to speak only from a position of love and kindness. This is how we make our nation better, but it starts with you and me as individuals reducing the level of hate and unkindness in our own hearts and in our own circle of influence. We cannot demand that our leaders turn down the rhetoric and turn down the level of hate, until we ourselves have done so in our own daily lives. A great America depends on great people. Great people speak from a place of love and kindness, not from a place of anger and bitterness. Great people surround themselves with people who reject cruelty, who reject fearmongering, and who reject fear and division. The path to becoming a great nation starts with you and I refusing to see one another as evil merely because we disagree. Let go of bitterness and hate. Only speak out of love and kindness. Try this for one week. Can you do it? Do you find yourself less angry and with less feelings of hate towards other Americans? If so, then good! Then keep focusing on reducing hate in your life and in your circle of influence by only speaking out of kindness and love. Try it one day, then another day, and then another. This is how we make American great, one person at a time, one day at a time. Do good today. Be kind today. Let nothing cruel or demeaning towards others leave your lips.
America cannot be great, unless its people are also good to one another.
Dr. Beaux Bonhoeffer
Find me also @beauxbonhoeffer.bsky.social and at beauxbonhoeffer.substack.com