Before the beginning of time the possession of Power has been at the core of mans desire. In the bible Eve was beguiled by the serpent into eating the forbidden fruit with and expectation of being like God. It turned out to be the downfall of man. Every generation has sought power. Kings, emperors, statesmen and presidents have all sought to have power.
What is Power? Websters describes it as “ 1a(1): ability to act or produce an effect 2a: possession of control, authority, or influence over others 3a: physical might. For this reason, man has sought to acquire wealth because with wealth comes power. As the saying goes “Money is power.” Some men with enormous wealth are not satisfied if they do not possess enough the power and they will do whatever it takes to have such power.
It’s not Power in itself that is bad, it what men do with it once they have it. Power can be used to make positive change. Power can be used to influence the actions of others. Power can be used to divide and destroy. The determining factor is who possesses the power.
One of the most detrimental powers in the world today is the Power of Hate. Hate is fueled and influenced by those who promise followers power. It tells them they are better and more deserving than their fellow man. It tells them all of their woes is caused by others. The power of hate thrives on having a foe. With hate there always has to be an enemy. Someone to look down upon and to demonstrate the power they have.
The Power of Hate can hide behind religion and have it’s followers believing they are acting in accordance to Gods will, disregarding the “Love your neighbor as yourself part.” The Power of Hate has religious leaders cursing and wishing bad upon those with whom they are in disagreement, again disregarding the bible and the praying for your enemies’ part.
The Power of Hate relies on division, it thrives in the midst of chaos because that is when one of the greatest tools of hate is activated and that is force. We all watched in disbelief as it was activated at our Nation’s Capital and we watched men and women storm the building in anger and rage.
The Power of Hate drives a man to want to enslave another man and exhort control over him, his children and their decedents. The Power of Hate is strengthened by the show of force, where men carry guns in public demonstrating that because they have a gun, they have great power. Hate thrives on power and power thrives on more power.
The only thing greater than Hate is Love. Anyone who is not promoting love and equality for all men regardless of economic status, party affiliation, national heritage or ethnicity is motivated by the power of hate; for light and darkness cannot occupy the same space.
Love is from the heart and does not need an assault rifle to assist it. Love is not driven by power. Love shows compassion, Love opens up for positive dialogue in disagreements. Love is longsuffering, Love is not hurtful, Love holds out hope for a better future for all men. Our National Anthem says “One Nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all” If we hold those values to be true then we know that God is Love.
It starts with us who have the Power of Love and can start to make a difference. If man can share hate on a wide scale surely, we can share Love on a greater level. We pray for those who are being beguiled by the attraction of the power of hate. We pray our country can find peace among men through the power of love.