Beech Tree News Network

 HATE WINS ?
This weekend, if everything goes as planned, our youngest member of the clan will have a busy weekend, trying out for a spot in some musical productions and doing a couple of performances in a Shakespearean tragedy. He and some of his classmates will be performing their version of the play known as -Hamlet. Technically the full name is -The Tragedy of Hamlet; Prince of Denmark. It is known as a tragedy because it has a noble protagonist who is usually flawed in some way or another and places them in a highly stressful situation. Shakespearean tragedies almost always focus on the reversal of fortune of the main character, which leads to to their ruin and ultimate demise.

My dictionary defines tragedy as a very sad, unfortunate or upsetting situation; something that causes intense feelings of deep sadness or regret. Without giving away too much of the plot (I'm sure many of you are already familiar with Hamlet though.) The tragedy revolves around the untimely death of a king and the results this has on his family. The king's brother had such a lust for power and influence that he was willing to do anything to get it, including killing his own brother. I am not too sure we have come such a long way in the centuries passed since this play was written. There are still those whose only ambition in life is to attain power or “win” and they are not much concerned about anything or anyone else other than that quest for power.

Our son will actually be playing the deceased king who is out for revenge for his premature demise. Actually I subscribe to the theory that those whom have made it to the spiritual realm are not really all that concerned with things like revenge and retaliation. Now, in this realm many are very concerned with revenge and retaliation believing in “an eye for an eye” and “when you get hit, you hit back” but I believe those in the spiritual realm have slightly elevated perspectives and are more concerned with things like, forgiveness, reconciliation, compassion and quite frankly; love.

Should such a thing as evil as murder go by without retribution? Should blood-lust for power be elevated as a lofty and noble goal? Does evil get rewarded with power, position and influence? Should it? I was reading a favorite author of mine the other day and in the passages that I read, this particular author talks about love being the most powerful force in the universe and how it would eventually overcome all opposition.

Looking around at the world, it often looks like hate, corruption, deceit and even vile hatefulness like racism,and bigotry, even ruthless practices, like misogyny and xenophobia are not only tolerated but sometimes admired and rewarded; a lot of the time it seems like hate ultimately rules the day; so when does “love win”? How do we combat this? How can love transform the world,? (for transformation is what matters; only words, without real change or a, “wait till it's all over,” approach is worse than useless , it is enabling.) Do we give up like in the old motto “if you can't beat them, join them” type of philosophy? Do we throw our lot in with hate? (throwing lots is a gambling term and means you expect that side to favor you)

When I look at my beautiful daughter and tell her she can become anything she wants, that her God-given talent will take her to; am I lying to spare her feelings, because in reality misogyny rules this land? Misogyny- the extreme prejudice against women; the ingrained concept of male superiority, the contempt and prejudice merely for being born a woman. Born out with discrimination, social exclusion, patriarchy, “the good old boys club,” belittling, and sexual objectification; do we bow to that and let hate win or is there another way? Do we act in ways that elevate women, promotes them, lets them know they are cherished and equal? If we men act in ways where women are seen as inferior subordinates and just objects to be groped and used ,then we let hate win but there is another way, where love wins.

Do I teach our son to treat women with the proper esteem or do I model ways which promote the idea that women are a lower class of human being and that life will treat him with more favor if he keeps an edge of contempt? Do I teach him to treat everyone with dignity and respect, even those quite different from him, or do I show him the path of the xenophobe? Xenophobe- one who has a crippling fear of anything or anyone perceived to be strange or different. It involves the irrational suspicion of those not following “the narrow path” and a type of restriction which eliminates acceptance of anything other than a very specific view and similarity to yourself, even elevating your own group to elite status and desiring the elimination of everything else to keep things “pure.”One way lets hate win but dignity levels the playing field, so that love might win.

When we interact with someone such as an autistic child, whom processes information differently than most of us, do we treat that child as unique and precious who teaches all of us that the human mind is not a cookie cutter factory and opens up the world to all of us who process learning differently, to accept ourselves as unique? Or do we ridicule and mock, believing we are more generously gifted in some way?

The mentor and Lord I follow died on a cross to say, “love wins” however if that is where we let the story stop, it looks like hate actually won doesn't it? That is not where the story ends though. The story continues and for those of us who believe it continues, it would be a real tragedy to give up and let hate win. Let's not let hate triumph but instead let's transform this world into somewhere where ultimately “Love Wins!”