What I meant was that hatred can be useful until the negative it creates overpowers the positive.
Figurative is not objective. So long as you at it is figurative, we are go.
Right. When I or anyone else says hate is toxic, we mean hate harms the person who holds it. I would say that hate is just as objectively toxic as depression and sadness are.
Concepts, emotions, and beliefs do not birth concepts, emotions, and beliefs. I believe in cause and effect when it comes to such intangibility, not creation.
Right. And the hate of a terrorist causes his violence. In other words, hate causes negativity.
Respectfully, I see it differently. I don't see how it is true that if you accept and understand everything, you cannot hate. With the sociopath scenario I am a little doubtful. Not everyone would hate the sociopath in your way and why. I can perfectly understand and accept onions, yet hate them. I know what they are, what they do, and what they dream (lol).
I concede the onion point, but when I talked about understanding, I had hatred of people and their actions, thoughts, etc. in mind. Although I don't really understand how people "hate" inanimate objects.
Same with sociopaths. I do not have to know everything about them because it doesn't matter. It does not matter to me what they think, eat, etc. What matters is what they have/are/are trying to do.
This is difficult for me to believe if only for the fact that understanding and knowledge consistently kills hatred in every generation. For example, it's more difficult for the white child of a racist to hate blacks if he grows up with black people and understands how similar they are to him. Similarly, many formerly homophobic parents find it more difficult to hate gays when their child turns out to be gay (so long as those parents accept what they've learned).
It's the same with sociopaths. You say "it doesn't matter to me what they think/I don't have to know about them" and that's the problem I'm talking about. If it doesn't matter then you neither have an understanding of them nor accept what knowledge you've gained of them and therefore maintain your ability to hate them. For example, if a person kills my friend, then I will hate them because of what they did. I hate them because they
chose to take away my friend.
Now, if I find out that the person who killed my friend was severely mentally retarded, then I'll likely stop hating them because it becomes clear that they have an impaired ability to control themselves and think the way I do about killing. It's the same with a sociopath - they have an impaired ability to judge and different sort of free will than I have. In other words, when I stop judging the murderer as if he has had the same experiences and mental health as I do and instead judge him according to his own reality, then it becomes more difficult for me to hate him because I judge him from his own mind.
I respect you for your civility and thoughtful posts.
thanks. the same goes for you.