Four Letters

Everyone on this earth has the ability to love. The Oxford dictionary defines love, the noun, in two ways. 1) An intense feeling of deep affection, 2)a great interest and pleasure in something. Love is something that connects all of us humans together. Love is a four-letter word, simple on the tongue, and has a simple meaning. It isn't too hard to experience it either. Don't you think it would make the world a better place if everyone showed love to everyone else rather than it's an antonym?

Hate. Another four-letter word. Merriam Webster defines it as "intense hostility and aversion," which is horrid. The definition further says that it is "usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury." Hate isn't something we all want to feel. People have died because people have felt something so simple. Hate crimes are common in the US. According to the Department of Justice, in just 2020 alone, 8052 hate crimes were committed. 65% of those crimes committed were on the basis of race.

Why would people feel the need to commit to these actions? What compelled them to do this action? It was their hate. The hate crime was committed because someone felt angry or scared. They were misinformed and told lies about a set group of people and had a compelling interest to cause harm to them. Their hate may have cost someone their life. Their hatred would only lead to more hate, creating a never-ending cycle.

What if we all decided to show just a little bit of love to each other? If we all felt a little bit of affection for each other, if we all just cared for each other just a bit more, we could achieve peace. Someone wouldn't have to lose their life. We wouldn't have the problem of discrimination. We wouldn't have to go through wars that cost millions of lives. All we would have to do is love each other by putting aside our differences. Only then can we live happily; only then can we live in peace.