An end to Hatred: Thoughts on Orlando

I just saw a quote on Facebook from Ghandi that said "The world is tired of hate".  At this very moment that rang so true for me. I am so tired of this hate filled world.  It's not just me, either, I feel a collective exhaustion at this most recent tragedy. The whole thing feels all too familiar, new circumstances maybe but depressingly familiar themes. I'm exhausted that we are STILL in a position where people can get hold of automatic weapons. I watched a video with a load of respected actors asking for this to change and I felt exhausted because I know I've watched that video before. It's tiring to look at the world and see it making the same mistakes over and over again.
We are all tried of hate, that is undeniable. But even as we acknowledge that, hate grows. Looking in the comments below that Ghandi quote was a wealth of ever expanding hatred, with no acknowledgement of the irony- a general feeling that this hate, the hate we feel for that hate, is the good kind of hate!! I don't think it works that way! Whether you hate gay people and massacre them in a night club, or you hate the guy that did that, nothing positive, no better society can be born on the back of that. Hate is unrestrained fear perverted into action. The least it does is tear at your own psyche and we are all too familiar with what it does in the extreme.
Whatever our justifications, we must work towards the end of hate. All forms of hate. This is really hard. For some of us, it might not ever be possible. But we have to stop indulging in our own hate and thinking of it is a kind of virtue- I'm terribly guilty of that. Allowing my anger to fuel me and taking it to mean that this hatred must mean I really care. And, of course, I do care! A LOT! I know every single person who is experiencing the bitter anger that comes from such horrific injustice is only feeling that because they care too, but those feelings aren't the solution. They are a conflicting byproduct, getting in the way of change; blocking the truth of the situation; allowing us to fall on the same old useless, unhelpful ideas about how the person, not the act, is evil; pitting us against them and allowing us to take no responsibility for how it can be prevented from happening again. Indiscriminate compassion for all mankind, including those who make themselves our enemies,is not easy but time and time again I come across stories that prove to me it can be done. Mothers who forgive the murderers of their children. People who put more love into the world than others take out, that is a true virtue. That is what we must work towards. If you can strive towards re-enfranchising the criminally disenfranchised, that is the path to change.
There is an awful lot of collective energy out there. I hope something good comes out of so much bad. #loveislove