4/13/2004 08:24:00 PM|||Andrew|||Essayer means to try in French, betraying the Latin roots, and it is this trying that I intend to do tonight. Now that I think about it, most of my posts here take the form of the essay--they are attempts, tryings to get at something true. Now the subject. I don't remember when this first occured to me; unfortunately the whole idea was several days ago when I was in an anti-blogging mood, more or less, so I didn't write anything about it then and have quite forgotten the origin of the idea. Here it goes...

Hate is an interesting emotion, it seems to me. It's been remarked, by many people on many occassions, that hate is essentially similar in character to love. I'm sure that I must have read something to that effect whenever these ideas occurred to me...if I only could remember what it was...nu suth. It's not hard to see why someone might think this though, and I propose to establish exactly what it is that love and hate share. What they have in common is an obsessive caring about someone (or something, I suppose). Not a caring for, mind you, but a caring about. Caring for someone or something implies that you try to help them in whatever way you can, make things easier for them. Caring about someone or something means simply paying attention to what happens to them, independent of what you do with that attention. The extremities of love and hate are characterized by intense caring about. The critical difference is, of course, the reason that such intense attention is paid to someone or something. Let nothing ever suppose that love and hate Are the same thing--they are not. But certainly there is an interesting similarity in their roots, in their common basis.

For those unconvinced, I offer a piece of evidence that serves as support and corollary. Revelation 3.15-16:

3:15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot! 3:16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth!

Here is Christ himself giving a command and a warning to his church. What is it that he hates most? He does hate those who are hot for him, certainly, those who burn with desire for him and do his will. But neither does he hate most those who are cold, those who shun and despise him. From the LORD himself, we are told that to be lukewarm towards the Christ is the worst offense. "I wish you were either cold or hot!" he says, and indeed, better that one be the fiercest atheist than to be a lukewarm Christian, one who mutters through the motions, perhaps attending church, but through it all with little care or passion for Jesus the Christ. In his own words, you can read it there.

The corollary to this evidence, is, of course, that I apply this same idea to my own life. I would rather be hated than to be shrugged at, rather be spit at than be casually ignored. In one sense, there is confirmation and power in the knowledge that one can arouse passion in another human being, whether it is hate or love, negative or positive. If one can arouse passion in another, one has power.

When I thought of that, I thought (rather selfishly) that I should like to begin a campaign of writing severly inflammatory remarks here on this blog, just so that I might arouse the hatred of someone reading. I don't think that's a particularly moral or wise thing to do, and have since abadoned the idea, however, so you won't see me doing it any time soon. I don't seek power for its own sake.

Besides, I think given my views on various things I don't think it's too much of a stretch to imagine people getting angry about something I might write, given a wide enough audience. I must admit, if I am ever flamed, I will probably relish the moment to its fullness.|||108191306013988342|||Essay on Hate