“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” – James Baldwin

I keep chewing on this quote. It’s so similar this Yoda wisdom – “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Whenever I encounter an angry or hateful person, I go back to this thinking. That pain and fear are the foundation for anger and hate. I ask myself what is making them so sad and fearful. What happened to them or what are they going through right now.

It’s a helpful thought exercise and makes me more compassionate and forgiving when I feel like spitting back at them.

Photo by Artur Tumasjan on Unsplash