Those we despise are infinitely more valuable than those we're indifferent to. At bottom, we respect opposing points of view. We remember our enemies' names.
Those that I despise are valuable to me in the sense that I learn something from them....and in turn maybe I learn something about myself. I don't tend to respect them, however. When I despise someone, it has little to do with an opposing point of view, and more to do with how their actions have harmed others. People whose views are different than mine challenge me, frustrate me, perhaps anger me and scare me, but I don't despise them for their opposing point of view. It usually takes actions for me to despise.
This reminds me of a quotation from Elie Wiesel that I've always found to ring true: "The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference."
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Those that I despise are valuable to me in the sense that I learn something from them....and in turn maybe I learn something about myself. I don't tend to respect them, however. When I despise someone, it has little to do with an opposing point of view, and more to do with how their actions have harmed others. People whose views are different than mine challenge me, frustrate me, perhaps anger me and scare me, but I don't despise them for their opposing point of view. It usually takes actions for me to despise.
ReplyDeleteThanks for thinking about these ideas with me.
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