"A true man hates no one." A quote from Napoleon Bonaparte...

 

I read this today (and many other things that will come), on the blog of my ex's current girlfriend; and it got me thinking... Yes it is a valid quote, for the time period in which it came. But is this really how it is today???

 

In Napoleon's day a true man was defined by strength, both physical and emotional. Emotional strength in men of that day was defined by hiding feelings and emotions and not expressing them, love, fear, hurt ect...

 

Today, we still define a true man by strength. No longer by both physical and emotional strength, only by emotional. You don't have to be physically strong to be a true man. But we also no longer define emotional strength as the hiding of feelings but by the ability to show and express feelings. A true man today is defined by one who is strong enough to express feelings.

 

'Hate' is a feeling is it not???

 

So if a true man is to be defined as one who has the strength to have and show feelings; is it not then a true man to hate??? Does this not draw us to the conclusion that it is only a true man that can hate??? Thus falsifying Napoleon's philosophy...

 

"Why do people choose to hate... when truly if you hate someone you hate yourself..."

 

For some people hate is not a choice. It's just a feeling. People don't wake up in the morning and say to themselves 'I'm going to hate so and so today'. For the most part people don't even wake up thinking of the person they hate. It's only when something that is said, done or seen that the memory of that person is triggered.

 

I'm sure that at some point in our lives we have all hated someone for something they have done. Be it a politician for a bad political choice, a terrorist for and act committed against humanity or for some (like me) someone you know who has hurt you, your life, or your family. If to hate someone is to hate oneself does that not mean that anyone who hates Osama Bin Ladin for September 11 (and I'm sure that there are plenty out there), hates themselves??? Surely not! So why should it be different for someone who hates a person who has hurt them??? If I hate my ex's current girlfriend for hurting me, why does that have mean instantly that I hate myself???

 

"Life is to short to dwell on the past."

 

This really pisses me off! Life is not too short! IT IS THE LONGEST THING WE KNOW!!! The past is what we learn from so if dwelling on something helps to learn a lesson or figure out a better approach to a situation so as to not repeat a mistake then dwell away people. Dwelling on a problem helps us solve it. To dwell is to think!

 

"A negative person is not a fun person to be around, someone who is bitchy, is negative. Do you realise it takes more muscles to frown than to smile"

 

I agree that a negative person is not fun to be around. But someone who is Bitchy is not necessarily being negative. And you defiantly don't need to be frowning to be bitchy. I can bitch with the biggest smile on my face.

 

Now some may wonder, the brave will ask, why do I read the blog of a person I hate, and then take (waste) the time to respond? In answer, for the same reason we all have and continue to read the books written by an author we don't like or listen to the speech given by politicians we don't agree with. To open our mind to the thoughts of others. Anything that provokes thought can only be a good thing. To challenge our minds is to learn and further our ability of knowledge. By reading things written by people we don't agree with allows us to be open minded. It gives us the opportunity to have challenging thoughts. If we stuck to what we like, what we agree with and what we know we become closed minded and loose the ability to further our knowledge… Knowledge and thought are the greatest gifts we have. By responding to it we exercise out right to freedom of speech and free thought, something that isn't possible for everyone in this world. Something which many take for granted.