Hate

to hate: to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest (dictionary.com)

Hate has been on my mind a lot recently.  I think it's because it's been thrown around in the social world so much.  'Haters will hate.'  'Stop the hatred.'  There are few things that I truly hate: spiders, snakes, confrontation.

It's frustrating because my beliefs have been called hateful.  For example, I believe marriage should be between a man and woman.  For those who believe in gay marriage, they don't hate heterosexual married individuals (usually).  Why is it that because I believe in traditional marriage that makes me a hater?  Not true.  I am pro-life.  This doesn't mean that I hate individuals who choose to have abortions.  I also believe that we are entitled (yes, entitled) to our own beliefs and we should accept everyone, no matter their beliefs. That does not mean that I want to join in the behaviors that I don't believe in, but just because someone believes differently than me that doesn't give me a reason to hate them or degrade them because of those differences.  I feel I work hard to accept people and treat them with compassion, no matter who they are.  I wish everyone could feel the same.