The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

There is an old saying, "There's a thin line between love, and hate". The more I ponder this, the more I believe it to be true. Hate is a strong word, and I can say that there is no one that I truly hate, but there are a few that I dislike a lot. Of this list of people, most, if not all of them, are people that I was enamored with, infatuated with, or in love with. Why is this? When we have a falling out with someone we care about, why do the scales in our minds make such a drastic swing, from love, all the way to hate? Why don't they swing from love to ambivalence? Is the ego so vindictive, that when it is hurt, or senses an injustice caused by someone who supposedly cares about it, that it must seek revenge in the form of hate? Apparently so.

When someone we like, or are indifferent to, wrongs us, we merely slot them into the asshole file and forget about them. It is hardly a blip on our radar of life. When someone we love, whether or not that person loves us in return, wrongs us, we immediately take all the emotion sitting on the "love" side of the scale, and dump it on the "hate" side. We do a 180 degree, about face on them. This causes a 8.0 on the Richter scale change in our lives. Why don't we just slot them into the asshole file, and forget them?

Eventually, we do; time does heal all wounds. I believe it is the shock, surprise, and the ensuing hurt, that brings about such a drastic change in our feelings. I don't believe it is in the human makeup to be able to go from love to ambivalence, or from hate to ambivalence. Once we reach one extreme emotionally, such as love, the only change that can be made is to the other extreme...hate. That is why, even though they are worlds apart, there is a thin line between love and hate.

Mr. Nice Guy

I have one motto, “Nice guys finish first (except in football)”. It is not much of a motto, but I do try to live it.

I have taught my son, “It doesn’t cost you anything to be nice to someone”, and it is true. How can it be that something so easy to do, and so cheap to execute, be so positive?

That is easy to answer if you happen to be the recipient of someone being nice to you. Having someone do you a good deed or a kind gesture can make your whole day if you are on the receiving end. If a total stranger can make your day by being nice, think how many people’s lives you could positively affect just by being nice to them. The thought literally boggles the mind.

If each and every one of us performed just one good deed per day, like the Boy Scouts try to do, it would change the world. Tensions between people would be slashed, blood pressures would drop. People would relax and enjoy life for the blessing it truly is.

Is it really all that easy? Well, yes, and no. The concept of it is easy to grasp, but the practice is not so easy. In order to be nice to someone, you actually have to be able to think outside your personal bubble. You have to come out of your shell, and be aware of the other people around you.

Lately this is getting harder and harder to do, everyone has a cell phone, i-pod, or P.D.A., etc. occupying their attention. It is very easy to get wrapped up in yourself, and not notice other people.

It really is easy to be a nice guy. In the course of a normal day there are many times when you can be nice to someone if you are on the look out. Just try not to get too wrapped up in yourself, your worries, and problems.

All it takes to make some one’s day is to hold a door, smile and say good morning when you pass someone, offer the use of your cell phone for someone stranded on the side of the road; the possibilities are endless. All it takes is for you to be aware of other people, and to do something nice when the situation allows it.

There is something strange about being nice to people, it spreads