The Power of Love and Hate

You look deep inside your mind and your heart and find two different sets of emotions floating around: love and hate. The symbol of the heart implies love.  We picture a cute little elf named Cupid. We look for a similar symbol for hate and perhaps you come up with a demon or a devil like creature.

That's all well and good from a symbolic standpoint. But, we know those symbols stand for something. Let's examine the Power of Love. You could assume that love symbolizes the ability to conquer all. What a wonderful idea! If you decide to practice filling your mind with thoughts of love, you do feel a sense of healing. But, how would you know what your healing, if you did not recognize the power of hate?

Let's say that you run into situations and people and instantaneously the hate part of you get activated. You begin to hate and you believe you have good reasons to hate. You possess all kinds of justifications and rationalizations for why you hate certain people and very specific behaviors.

Set up a little experiment: make a list of all the people and things that you hate. Before you know it, your mind begins to become consumed with negative thoughts that are infiltrated by hatred. You step back for a moment and you say to yourself, "I don't like these thoughts and feelings of hatred.  They are doing something to me. My mind is feeling awash with negativity and hatred." A bell goes off. A buzzer rings. A red flag appears. You notice certain things happening to you that you are not too happy with. You think to yourself, "I better get out of this state of hatred. It's doing negative things to me."

Then decide to shift your mind towards the world of love. You fill your mind with love. You begin to feel healed. Notice the feeling of elation, happiness and joy. The hatred is going from your mind. It's nefarious effects upon your psyche have been diminished and replaced by the wonderful world of love. You look at those old situations and people from a more loving perspective. You have washed your mind of hatred and negativity. You are now in the love space. Feels better doesn't it?  In fact, it feels great. You begin to express your life from this place of love. But, there is a warning space inside of you that tells you to be aware of when you come across those people and situations that you hated in the past.

Do you become more tolerant, more accepting and more loving? That remains to be seen. So, you are facing someone and some situation that you just can't stand. Are you more loving or is the old hate space getting activated? Sounds like a tussle, doesn't it?

Love is a Learning Phenomenon
Love is a learning phenomena. You can spend your entire lifetime filling yourself and your mind with thoughts and feelings of love. But, your love is quite specific. Even so, you still have the power to hate. We all make distinctions about certain people, behaviors and situations that we will either love, hate or feel indifferent towards. If love is a learning phenomena, then hate must also be a learning phenomena. You can learn to love and you can learn to hate. The choice is yours. Love builds! Hate destroys! History can attest to this.

These two emotions also serve purposes. I won't go into that here. Some of you may or may not have full control over your mind. A lack of control over your mind may indicate disorder. The disorder may be psychological and or neurological.  These factors  need to be taken into consideration.

That means love can build you and hatred could destroy you. However, there are many shades in between. It's neither one extreme or the other. It's never a black or white issue. But, somewhere in the middle, you can learn from these emotions and integrate them into your personality to help you build a more productive and loving life.

Try a little experiment. Perhaps, you know someone that wherever he/she goes or shows up, that person spreads negativity and various degrees of hatred. You get what you put out. Human beings do project certain emotions onto other people and situations.

Let's take the experiment to the other side. Maybe, you know someone, that no matter where she or he goes, that person spreads love. Once again, you get what you put out. What makes that person so lovable and so loving? What makes that other person such a magnet for negativity and hatred? Have I got you thinking about yourself and the choices you have made over your life? Perhaps too, you will think about what kind of choices you can make right now about the kind of person you want to be. Your early life experiences and that includes gestation and in utero experiences, mold, shape and influence your later experiences and capacities for love and hatred. Remember, these two emotions have incredible power. They can either build or destroy.

I Can Help...
Like any other individual, you may be spending your life wrestling with issues of love and hatred. Recognizably, these are powerful and forceful emotions. My particular therapeutic approach of effective strategies can help you change and become the kind of person that you really want to be.

Remember, love and hatred are learning phenomena. Coaching, therapy and counseling with my very powerful strategic methods, can change your life to a point of optimal experiences and ecstatic love. Don't waste time. These powerful methods are things that you will never learn in any school. Let my 45 years of teaching, coaching, counseling and therapy put you in that place where you can actualize what you might have missed the first time around. Decide to get busy and prepare to work hard and benefit from the rewards. You're only an email (phannigphd@att.net) or a phone call (818-882-7404) away from greater happiness, joy, peace, and emotional prosperity. Contact me now. What are you waiting for?

Paul J. Hannig, Ph.D. MFT
PsychotherapyHELP
www.psychotherapyhelp.com
phannigphd@att.net
T: 818-882-7404