Great-grandma's words still ring true

My great-grandma Taylor used to always tell me, "Don't say you hate anything. Hate is a very strong word. You may dislike someone, but don't say you hate them."

Since that day when I was going on a rampage over something so meaningless I can't remember it more than a decade later, those words have stuck with me.

I can't remember exactly how long ago it was, but I remember she said it as I was climbing in the back seat of that burgundy Crown Victoria and I was complaining about some pre-teen drama.

Even though she was a small town woman through-and-through, and ended most sentences with "down yonder", she was the smartest woman I have ever known.

When I find myself stewing over meaningless arguments or after being hurt by someone I thought I could trust, grandma's words always ring through my mind.

I may not be fond of that person and their actions, but I don't know their story well enough to hate anything about them.

As I read and listen to the news from across the world, it makes me sad to think not everyone had a great-grandma like mine.

People show mass hatred over races, religion, sexes and sexual orientation. They don't gear their misplaced anger towards a specific person, and it leads me back to grandma's words.

How can one know the story of each and every single one of those people they "hate"?

The shooting at the Sikh Temple so far is believed to be a hate crime. An alleged white supremacist probably taking out his rage on what he believed to be the same religion of those that sent him overseas with the Army.

A photograph from his MySpace profile showed the alleged shooter wearing a shirt that says "White Pride".

I don't understand how it is possible to hate an entire race or religion. These people are individuals. Every single one of us is different, whether it be where we grew up or our thoughts about certain issues.

I had a discussion with a friend recently about our stances on gay marriage. We talked religion, morality and love.

But, most importantly, at the end of the conversation we are still friends even as we stand in disagreement. One thing we did agree on was we shouldn't harbor hatred towards someone else's life decisions because we do not know their story.

Catholics, Christians, Sikhs, black, white or yellow -- we are all people. We each have a battle to fight, whether it be mental, physical or within that person's family.

I think we forget no one is perfect in this world. We see things differently, and this is OK.

Wouldn't it be a boring world if we had nothing to argue about, discuss or generally disagree on? Just because you disagree doesn't make you, or the other party, a bad person. It just means you are strong enough to stand up for your own beliefs.

You may disagree with another person's stance on an issue, but remember, you wouldn't want to be hated for standing up for your own beliefs.

Sabrina is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World and can be reached by email at swestfall@gcdailyworld.com or by telephone at 847-4487.