The Opposite of Love?

I think most people would say the opposite of Love must be Hate. I disagree! In my opinion it is Fear. I believe hate is just a byproduct of fear. We hate things we don’t understand because we fear the negative sensations they could potentially cause us to experience. We fear things that threaten our safety and sense of well-being. Sigmund Freud defined hate as “an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness.” I believe that if you take a closer look at anything you profess to hate you can identify such a fear. For example, I hate sharks because I fear they will eat me, I hate raw tomatoes because I fear they will taste bad, and I hate football because I don’t understand it, and I’m afraid if I watch it I’ll die of boredom (or perhaps I’m afraid I will like it!).
Let’s say there is a person you “hate”. Can you identify the fear that drives that reaction? Perhaps you’re afraid that person will say something to embarrass you, steal your boyfriend, or perform better than you.
The strangest thing about fear is that it is not real! It is always coming, never here; it’s perpetually in the future. Fear is always imagined. You don’t “fear a bear ate you.” You “fear a bear will eat you.” Once the dreaded event happens it’s no longer feared, except in the sense that it might happen again. Fear is a liar and a mirage. It’s a suggestion and a delusion. My favorite Samuel Clemens quote is “I have suffered many tragedies in my life, most of them never happened.”
I believe fear/hate is the most destructive force in the universe. Love creates. Hate destroys. For that reason I have spent the last year trying to eliminate all fear from my life. I have simply refused to acknowledge any fear. It hasn’t happened overnight. It has taken discipline and practice, but it has been very liberating! Letting go of fear has been the greatest thing I ever did for myself.
Franklin D Roosevelt said it best, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
The Bible tells us 365 times to not be afraid, once for everyday of the year.
“Fear is only as deep as the mind allows,” a Japanese proverb.
Napoleon said, “He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.”
“No one loves the man whom he fears,” Aristotle.
And I agree with Marilyn Manson, “One hates what one fears.”
Governments, many religions, and all terrorists use fear to control those they oppress, often with great success. The only way to win is to refuse to be afraid! Fill your life with love and live without fear of anything or anyone! Find the opposite of hate… freedom!