It's The Simplest And Most Self-Evident Of Equations- Love Trumps Hate

Love comes from strength; hate from weakness and fear

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

• Jimi Hendrix

You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.

• Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice On Love And Life From Dear Sugar (2012)

I’ve never been a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but that’s a matter of personal preference. That’s less true after watching the above video, which might be the most impressive and impactful 12 minutes I’ve ever watched.

I’m writing this to encourage my readers to watch it from beginning to end…and then pass it on to friends, family members, and others they think may benefit. This is the sort of thing that every person should see, not just the audience Schwarzenegger intends it for.

We live in a polarized world where hate has established a firm foothold. But we should consider why hatred has become such a formidable presence. Why do so many hate Asians, Jews, the LGBTQ community, and so many other segments of society? What is there to be gained by investing so much negative energy in hating our fellow human beings?

The point Schwarzenegger makes, using his visit to Auschwitz and his boyhood in Austria to help illustrate, is that hate never comes from a place of strength. And it never leads to success. If you look at recent historical movements based on hatred- the Confederacy, Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa- they all ultimately failed ignominiously.

Hate is a fire that may burn hot and bright initially, but it isn’t easy to maintain that intensity over the long term. It requires incredible energy to sustain the hatred needed to support that movement. And if you look at individuals who led hate-based campaigns…they didn’t end well, either.

Hate is an intensely toxic emotion that requires considerable emotional energy to maintain. Medical science has repeatedly demonstrated the harmful effects that hatred can have on the human body. It can take a pronounced physical and emotional toll.

Conversely, love is easy. It requires little effort and almost no energy. Love is our natural state. It exists in inclusion and coexistence. It fosters kindness and compassion. It promotes understanding and acceptance.

Love doesn’t care what you look like, who you are, what you believe, who you sleep with, or your politics. Love is. It doesn’t care about labels, expectations, rules, or cultural norms. Instead, it accepts you as you are and encourages the same from you.

One of the points of Schwarzenneger’s video is that we have several recent examples of what can happen when hatred is allowed to come to the fore. And it’s easy to allow that to happen. It’s far too easy to hold The Other responsible for the shortcomings in your life. When life isn’t giving you what you expected or hoped for, someone that can always be blamed- Jews, Blacks, Asians…it’s a long list.

The problem with blaming others is that it means you’re taking the easy way out. Holding others responsible for your crummy lot means you stop taking responsibility for your life. You stop engaging in doing the work to find a better life, to find a better path.

While other people can be an adjunct and perhaps assist you in helping you find that better path, blaming them for your failure to find that path is, in effect, failing yourself.

You can never find success through hating and blaming others. Hate is easy, but it’s the way of the weak. It will cut you off from others and remove you from any possibility of connecting with those who might be willing to help you succeed.

There will always be easy reasons for hating others, but those reasons distract from paths that lead to lives of strength and self-determination. If you refer to the example of the balloon-filled hallway, people are far more successful when they work together than when they try to go it alone. Anyone who’s ever attempted networking understands this. The power of people connecting people is difficult to overstate, but anger and hatred work against that.

One of the things I’ve learned through my experience living and working overseas is that even though cultures may be different, people are similar in more ways than we realize. We all want the same things- love, happiness, peace, security, and the ability to support our families. We may speak different languages, but those things are universal when all is said and done.

Everywhere I’ve gone, people are people. If you’re friendly, kind, and respectful, I’ve found that you’ll get the same in return- even in war zones where you might not expect it. No matter where you go, people want to be treated as if they matter and are important. If you can do that, you’ll find that your traveling experience will be much smoother.

As for the “problem” of being “woke,” know that the haters and bigots would have you think that being “woke” is terrible. But what it means is being kind, compassionate, and decent. If those things are “bad,” then humanity’s in real trouble.

Remember, love isn’t hard. HATE is hard. The hard part can be unlearning the habits and the anger that have caused you to hate so many for so long. Perhaps you’ve been trained to hate The Other for so long that it’s become reflexive, and you’re not sure you can unlearn what’s become habitual.

Rest assured that you can learn to love others just as you learned to hate them. And once you’ve learned how to do that, I think you’ll find that love is much easier and less taxing than hate.

I’d strongly urge you to watch Schwarzenegger’s video. I think it may be his most significant and positive contribution to humanity. As someone facing the last chapter of his life, I think he realized that the time has come to address those stuck on a path that can only harm them over the long term.

If this 12-minute video is all that Arnold Schwarzenegger is remembered for, it will have been well worth it.