Roots of Hatred

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A group of those men, Klu Klux Klansmen, burned the Mount Zion Church and the three civil-rights workers drove out to survey the wreckage. The three men were arrested, then released late at night. It was a setup. They were taken on a dark road in Neshoba County; they were beaten, shot and dumped into the earth at Old Jolly Farm. Their bodies were found a month later.

Of the 19 men who were ultimately arrested in connection with this case, many walked free. Two who didn't--who were imprisoned--were beaten by black inmates. This is the lesson of hatred, I think--the roots of it, how it just grows and feeds on pain and anger. Maybe the best each of us can do is get a grip on our hearts--on everything that is good and hopeful there--and refuse to hate someone like Edgar Ray Killen. Punish, yes. Be thankful that some justice has been done, obviously. But the final victory over the legacy he was part of is to look at the hatred in his eyes with no hatred in our own.

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Posted By: ChrisJeske @ 06/09/2009 1:31:07 PM

Learning to love everyone, and thus, to practice nonviolence is a continual struggle. I always turn to the last two lines of Cesar Chavez' Prayer of the Farm Workers' Struggle, "Let us love even those who hate us; So we can change the world."

If you are interested in reading about what racism looks like today and learn how you can make a difference, check out www.arentweallequal.com/blog
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Posted By: Romanus Maximus @ 05/01/2009 11:34:24 AM

LOL.......I assume you prescribe to the there is only the "human race" theory but your kind always ignores the "nature" of the "human race" or any other species. For example the myth of "good and evil ", Mother Nature tells us the one's gain is ALWAYS at another's expense.The preservation of one's own kind is not hatred but survival,an instinct that is found in all life forms, so it can't be a matter of "good vs evil".
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Posted By: Honestly22 @ 04/30/2009 10:46:43 AM

I'll go out on a limb here and theorize that the root of hate is fear based. That religions and politicians have always exploited fears for personal gain since their inception, and within those very constructs many forms of discriminations are born. If my theory is correct, my question would be what identifies the tipping point in racism where one will act out in violence and what measures can we put in place as a society to prevent it. I am a strong proponent of education and would suggest that black history be a required studiy within our educational system which may (I can only hope) counteract some of the bad ideologies our youth is exposed to.