Editorial May 18, 1968 Issue

Overcoming Hatred with Love

William Milford Correll

One of the most urgent problems of the present day is the overcoming of hatred with love. This problem ranges from the broadest international context to the most intimate human relationship. No one is exempt from this necessity. It has much to do with our experiencing health and harmony, and it is pertinent both to individual and nation.

This is a well-worn religious topic, but it is so fundamental that it needs an ever deeper investigation and a constant renewal of our efforts. The tension between races, the disagreement on national policies, the clash of moral standards, and the disruption of family life are all situations that involve hatred and malice. If we do not ameliorate these mental states, they in turn give rise to problems of health and individual survival. One cannot harbor hate in his heart and expect to be unaffected by it.

Such warnings are not new, but they need to be repeated. Christ Jesus pointed this out in his Sermon on the Mount. The disciple John emphasized it time and again. And in strong language Mrs. Eddy gives us this instruction: "Hate no one; for hatred is a plague-spot that spreads its virus and kills at last. If indulged, it masters us; brings suffering upon suffering to its possessor, throughout time and beyond the grave."^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 12;}

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