Do you agree with this quote? I do for myself because it suits my personality, but I know a lot of people who would disagree with it. What about you?
May 27,2015
Promote What You Love
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Why either or? Why not both?
Oh, Ramana, thanks for the laugh. My thought entirely.
U
As I pointed out, people choose according to their personalities. Some prefer one of the two, some prefer both.
Thing is, Jean, sometimes we need to bash what is hateful for change to the better to come about. It’s all well and good to be lovey dovey in a hippy daisy waving flowery way – but sometimes nuts need to be cracked.
U
And the opposite extreme is when bashers tear things down and something even worse take their place. Hate isn’t enough either. Think Iraq. It’s a lot easier to tear things down than to build something better. Good discussion.
As Nick points out, not all love is hippy daisy waving flowery way, whatever that means. 🙂
I do believe it. I have found that it does little good to bash what you hate. Practices I hate are often instituted by people who tend to be either hateful themselves and/or as entrenched in their long-held and beliefs as I am in mine. I may hate the male-leads-the-woman’s-spiritual-life beliefs of some fundamentalists, but they are not likely to change long-held beliefs they base on their interpretations of religious texts because I bash them. I have to make decisions how to expend my limited energy. For example, I would rather promote the ability to determine one’s own end-of-life experience than bash those who believe, through their own deeply held convictions, that I should not be allowed to stop artificially administered food and hydration under certain conditions, as I’ve stated in my medical directive. One effort leads me to work toward something, with like-minded and undecided people; the other, to fight a somewhat useless fight and bring rancor into my life. Perhaps this seems an artificial trick of language, but it tends to make a difference in what I’m reading and thinking. I liken it to when my children would ask for a sweet just before lunchtime. Instead of saying, “No, you can’t have it now. You haven’t had lunch,” I would try to remember to say, “Yes, you can, as soon as you finish lunch.” Same final result, but sometimes much different interim behavior.
I agree. That works for me, too. I support Compassion and Choices and am troubled that the hospital in Santa Fe is religiously run now. They explicitly say their morals override the patients’ end-of-life directives. Apparently it’s even worse in the State of Washington. According to my sister-in-law most of the hospitals and hospices there say the same thing. It’s scary. I like Compassion and Choices because it doesn’t demonize the religious right, it just keeps pushing to give patients more choice.
Your comment about energy is a great one. When something bothers Andy he says, “If I were younger I would work up a towering rage about this. But I’m too old now. I just don’t have the energy.” 🙂
I think that we need to do both. “Bashing” might be the wrong word. “Criticizing” things that we think are wrong is important, in my opinion.
I have no trouble with the idea of criticizing. I was thinking of people who love to rant or even destroy rather than do something constructive. And I’m not saying getting upset and ranting is wrong, just that it doesn’t suit my personality. I was actually hoping someone would “Yes, I rant and hate! And I love it!”
Mostly. Sometimes I find myself opposing what is influential and appalling.
I’m “agin” a lot of things. My main action is to give money to causes I believe in and to write letters to the powers that be.
Indeed, what is ever achieved by hating? It just uses up a lot of emotional energy while the object of the hatred usually carries on regardless. And focusing on what you love doesn’t have to be lovey dovey, hippy dippy. It can be genuine warmth and affection and appreciation. What’s wrong with that?
Well said. Thank you!
I’m like you, there’s way too much hate in the world and I don’t want to add to it. I’ll just focus on making my little corner a bit more friendly.