Hatred

On Hatred

Reflect on this. A teacher asked students to bring few potatoes in the school bag. Next day, each student brought few potatoes in their school bag.  Teacher asked the students to give each potato the name of a person they hate. They were also told to carry the potatoes for one week wherever they went.  After few days, the potatoes started smelling, and soon the stink became unbearable.

Then teacher asked, “What is the moral of this experiment?” Each one said something, and finally the teacher said, “This is exactly the situation in life when you carry your hatred inside your mind and heart for long.” Just as, rotten potatoes spoiled your school bag and the atmosphere, your hatred will spoil your mind and heart. Learn to drop your hatred as soon as possible.

Your life, so often, is spoilt due your differences with others. Differences with others need not end up as hatred. Differences are just differences, but the moment the mind gives them a name tag of hatred mind and heart gets polluted. No one can avoid differences, but one has to be alert not to give the name tag and wrap those differences with dislike and hatred. This requires psychological alertness. But to expect one not to have differences at work and home is truly being foolish. One should drop this foolishness by wise thinking and take practical steps to overcome the negative attitude.

By Swamy Sukhbodhananda