Hatred

I went for drinks tonight with a friend that was raised largely in Africa by Israeli parents. We experienced a discussion where I argued that the basis for hatred was a learned behaviour. She argued the counterpoint, that humans are
predicated towards hatred, that it is our instinct to judge based on differences. What struck me most in this contrast of opinion wasn't so much our perspectives, but the background of those perspectives.

My childhood was much more normal than hers; and by normal I note the subjectivity involved in its use and comment more on the shock of abnormality. Through her life, she's seen far more hatred first-hand. She's witnessed pure, ignorant, bare-brained conviction. I have witnessed theoretical, emotional hatred, where she has seen it much more physical and real.

Because my life has been so soft, is that why I have more hopefulness for humanity? Is it naive to think that our systemic disposition towards hatred can be unlearned?

No, it's not naive. I don't think that human beings are wired to hate other human beings of different skin tone. I don't think our genes are nearly that competitive. People aren't that willingly ignorant without encouragement through education and culture. My friend is from the Middle-East, I'm from North America. Culture here is a fusion of everything, so in a sense we don't have our own culture at all. If we do, it's vague, fuzzy. The culture she's used to is specific and focused, where people have much firmer beliefs.

Culture is in no way a genetic predisposition; it is a concept created by man. It is a social consciousness, not an individual one, so it has been learned in one way or another. And if something has been learned, it can be unlearned; and if it can't be unlearned, it can not be instructed.

Love is a more rational human predisposition. Love is lazy; hatred takes legitimate effort. Eventually, people are going to stop wasting so much energy needlessly and we'll finally break out of this second-hand shell of division.