I never said hatred was impossible.
It might very well be that Napoleon hated Britain.
And personaly I still believe every emotion has just one meaning, giving more than one meaning to an emotion, imo shows, a language inability, NO PUN INTENDED, since by this rule I don't even master my own mother tongue
Why do we hate? It's simple - we either experience something that we really dislike, or we see in something the potential to bring about such an occurrance. Fire is absolutely right, though - many people have absolutely no idea what it really is like to hate something or someone. I'm not even sure that I do - but that could be the insomnia and Zoloft talking. 😛
Originally posted by Friend44
Btw - We never actually hate or like anyone. If someone spits on you, you say you hate them. If someone helps you, you say you like them. In both cases, it can both be the same person. Therefor, hate being a temporaty state created only by a condition.
Just about everything is caused by something else, and nothing is eternal, so...
No one makes claims that hatred is forever, just as no one claims that you must like a person forever. Since a person's nature can change, it only stands to reason that someone else's opinion of that person should have the flexibilty to change also. There aren't too many people I can think of that would both spit on someone and then help them, while being in the same, sound state of mind. In order for a well-minded person to hate someone else simply for spitting on them (and I believe this would fall in the category of percieved hatred that Fire originally brought up) they would have to feel that the offending person wished them specific harm and will continue to do so, without cause. It's highly unlikely that such as person would then be helpful - and it's impossible for such a person (remember - worthy of legitimate hatred) to be helpful without concern only for personal gain.
What you're saying certainly supports the notion that most people don't know what it's like to hate, but it doesn't eliminate the actual emotion/act. Many, many people genuinely hated Hitler, and continue to hate the notion of Hitler. Hitlet genuinely hated everyone Jewish. Many misguided, ignorant Americans genuinely hate everyone or nearly everyone of Islamic faith...