Hate on Hate

CHARLESTON, SC - JUNE 18:  People stand outside the Emanuel AME Church after a mass shooting at the church that killed nine people on June 18, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina. A 21-year-old suspect, Dylann Roof of Lexington, South Carolina, was arrersted Thursday during a traffic stop. Emanuel AME Church is one of the oldest in the South. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
CHARLESTON, SC – JUNE 18: People stand outside the Emanuel AME Church after a mass shooting at the church that killed nine people on June 18, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

If I chose to write about hate every time I saw it on display, I wouldn’t have space to write anything else. It would be article after article, describing the great atrocities of this world. I wouldn’t have to search far and wide. There is unfortunately an abundance of examples right in front of us all. New ones every single day.

It would be horrifying to read over and over. Depressing. Stomach-turning.

Hate comes in so many forms. All of them incredibly ugly.

Ironically, there is no better word than ‘hate’ to describe my reaction to the bible study massacre in Charleston, South Carolina two days ago.

I hate it.

I hate it so much.

I don’t think I could hate it anything more than I do this.

A group of people. In a church. In bible study class. With their hearts in the right place to do good in this world. To good for this world. And they welcome a kid off the street. To pray with them. And he sits there for an hour. Listening to them talk about God. And talk about good. And he takes out a gun and begins to unload.

That’s…hard to wrap my head around.

I write this blog anonymously. Faceless. And as a result…raceless. I recently had a person on Facebook ask me my race, because something I said or the way I said it, made him feel I was a certain race.

My response was simple: race doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t.

It does not matter.

There are great and terrible people in every shape, size, and form. From every corner of this world. From every creed. From every income bracket. There are great and terrible people who are the best athletes in the world. There are great and terrible people who are physically disabled. And great and terrible people who are famous. And great and terrible people who are completely anonymous. There are great and terrible people who grew up in horrible circumstances. And great and terrible people who grow up with a silver spoon in their mouths. And there are even great and terrible people who have done great things in this world. And great and terrible people who have done terrible things in this world.

And yes, there are great and terrible of every color. Of every race.

Race has nothing to do with whether they are great or terrible. It is, completely irrelevant.

This is a terrible kid. Who did a terrible thing. His race does not matter.

I don’t know any of the deceased. But from the bit I’ve read, I know they were at least good people. From a bit I read about the Reverend Clem, he seemed like a great person. I imagine the others were too.

Race doesn’t matter. Not even for the dead.

This whole thing makes me incredibly sad for the world. And angry at the world.

When I read about the people in that community, coming at this terrible kid, who did this terrible thing, with forgiveness…it doesn’t feel right. I know about bible based religion and the teaching about turning the other cheek. I just don’t know that I can get to forgiveness here. I pray in thanks, that the people in and around this tragedy have bigger hearts than I do.

I hate the kid who did this. I hate this entire tragedy.

My wife and I tell our young kids that they should never use the word hate. We don’t let them say it. About anything.

Maybe now though, I will teach them, that in some special instances. The word hate might be the only word that exists to describe your feelings on the most horrible of things.

My head and heart are with the people close to Mother Emanuel right now.