My nephew Oliver moved back to NC about a year ago. He is four years old. I have really enjoyed spending time with him. He is an awesome child. One day when we were all sitting around talking Oliver suddenly said, "Mommy, Auntie Christine said the h word!" I was puzzled....I didn't say any bad words, did I? My sister in law Barbara quickly informed me that in their house the word "hate" is a bad word. At first I thought that this was a little extreme. I mean, using the word hate is ok when you are talking about brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spiders, or clowns right?
I then started thinking, what would the world be like if everyone taught their children that the word hate is an off limits word?
No more "I hate you!"
No more, "I hate faggots, nerds, hippies, black people, Mexicans, fat people, Asians, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, old people, rich people, poor people, homeless people, Russians, Iraqi's".....the list could go on. Basically anyone different than us or what we think is "normal"
What would the world be like if everyone started, one child at a time? One family at a time?Maybe it is simple minded of me to think that hate could be stopped by teaching children that it is a bad word.That the world could be a better place just by not using one word. I think it would take many years, perhaps decades, but if child by child learned that the word hate in any form or fashion is a four letter word, could hate be eradicated?
I am sure that at one time smallpox and polio were thought to be impossible to contain. Many years later though, we have wiped out these diseases.....and how did we do that? By vaccinating one child at a time! Is hate a disease that can be cured? I think so. I applaud my brother and his wife for vaccinating my nephew against this word and all it stands for. Once again, a child is teaching the adults around him.
Hate is not a family value. Even for brussel sprouts.
