3 easy steps to becoming a hater.

What has happened to the world around us where instead of assuming the best of a person we automatically believe that they are the incarnation of evil? Racism, nationalism, sexism, fear of someone different seems to be what controls our thinking and ultimate life choices. So here are three easy steps to continue down the path of becoming a hater and make the false assumption that only you get it right about life. You should be running for president instead because only you know how to put the pieces of the world puzzle back together.

Step 1 - Assume that you are the only person that is capable of critical thinking. So you automatically doubt everything you hear and instead of analyzing, weighing and careful consideration you put someone down because what they have said or acted out is different from your personal preference in life. You truly believe that anyone that has a different personal preference from you must be brain dead or crazy.

Step 2 - What ever happened to WYSIWYG? Remember how one of the biggest challenges in the beginning phase of software development was making sure that what you saw on the screen was what actually printed out? Is it possible to see something and not really see what is there? I was taught as a kid growing up to always give someone a second or third opportunity to show me their true colors. Yet, too often today when I see something that seems to be different from my personal paradigm means it must equate to that person being evil, a nonperson or someone that I automatically discredit. 

Step 3 - I don’t know about you but I find myself too often sensing that most people assume what they hear spoken out on the Internet whether that is on YouTube, a TED lecture or the latest podcast must be true. I’m the one that truly believes that I could have said it better. Why wasn’t I asked to give the TED talk or why hasn’t my YouTube posts gone viral? I’m too quick to judge someone because of their success or more honest admission to my being jealous of that person. How is it possible for the voice of one to push a crowd into becoming a mob that overturns a police car and intentionally injures a stranger?

It’s tragic that the media and our culture is so quick to fixate on the bad ‘stuff’ that is happening around us to such an extent that we are drawn into being haters with little thought of the consequence and reasoning behind our actions. Riots seem to be commonplace regardless of the country or governmental rule. It scares me to think that people are so quick to hurt someone over a political candidate or make the assumption that different religious, racial or cultural backgrounds automatically equates to not being able to trust that person or their family.

The challenge today is that the topic of human dignity and human rights falls on deaf ears because the mega corporations or nations don’t show any practical value of the individual because what matters most is sadly the bottom line. So how does a hater transition themselves into becoming someone that sees value in all people even with those that they adamantly disagree with their values? I know that it’s so easy to be a racist and assume that my skin color is what defines the value of a person! Educations also can makes the ultimate dividing line between people with degrees being of higher quality and value than High School dropouts. All faith groups or anti-faith groups have some heretics or extremists that do things that shame the rest of us. So do we automatically ban all religious groups from entering into our communities or countries?

I tire of being drawn into the hater community! The news and media make it so easy to want to pick sides and be on the attack regardless of what the truth happens to be. Our city suffered with an ongoing presence of a freeway shooter. It was the governor of our state that tweeted out ‘We got him!’ that now sees an individual being released after 7 months of imprisonment and the State in the process of being sued for millions. 

Time to open our eyes, ears and mouth to praise the good that you see happening daily around you and also being quick to be an advocate for someone who is being hurt by another! I want the hating to stop! Join me in making a positive difference in the world around you!