Why do we find so much hate in the world?

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People attack others for seemingly no reason other than their race.

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We see the differences in others so easily.

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We are not only divided more than ever, we seem to be attacking each other more.

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The confusing part is that things are actually better in the world than at any point in the past.

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There are no global wars and there is less domestic violence than ever before.

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People have more rights than ever before.

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The standard of living, while inconsistent, is still on average higher than it has ever been.

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So why are we seemingly at each other's throats?

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Why are people using just about any excuse to hate another group of people?

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It is almost never about what is happening on the surface.

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How we act to another person is not really about them, it is about us.

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What seems to be coming out, while directed at others, is really about our own fears and insecurities.

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We are in pain.

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Not just physical pain, but psychic pain.

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The world is changing more rapidly than it has in recorded history, and that is a scary thing to many people.

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The life we live today is barely recognizable from the life we lived growing up.

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There is deep seated angst because of this.

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We don't know who we are and where we belong anymore.

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How we define our tribe is different than it has been in the past.

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It is normal to want things not to change so much.

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It is natural to feel lost in this new world we live in.

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Yet if we do not find the internal strength to come together, we will not be able to thrive in this new world.

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Hate is not about hating another.

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Hate is about our own pain and anger.

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It is time to heal that pain and release that anger.

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We all have to do our own inner work to be at peace with ourselves if there is to be peace in our world.

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It is our responsibility to find a way for us to get past our pain and anger to a place of acceptance.

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Acceptance of ourselves, of who we are, of what we have been through.

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Pain is not a judgment of ourselves.

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It is merely an experience we had.

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Others may have caused us to feel pain, but that does not mean the entire world is filled with pain.

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There is so much more.

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There is joy and happiness.

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There is kindness and compassion.

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We only have to look for it to find it.

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And for those who are so caught up in their pain that they lash out against others, we have to show them where they can find compassion.

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For themselves first, and then for others.

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How else can we end this cycle of violence against each other?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant