Hate...

Noun, Attributive Noun, and Verb.

"Intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury." - Merriam Webster Dictionary.

To feel hostility or animosity toward.

To detest.

"The emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action." - The Free Dictionary by Farlex.

Such a mean little word.

It's been with us since before 900 AD.

It appears in many languages, in nearly the same form. Old Frisian, Old High German, Dutch, Old Saxon, Old Icelandic, Gothic, Old English, Old Norse.

There has certainly never seemed to be a shortage of it.

In truth it seems we have spread it out and carried it with us for centuries.

It's so easy to hold onto after all, and so easy to share.

With our family, with our neighbors, with total strangers even.

Maybe it's time to let it go.


Love...

Noun and Verb.

"Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another." - Merriam Webster Dictionary.

To feel compassion for.

Acceptance.

"To have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person)." - Dictionary.com.

This word has also been with us since before 900AD. In the same languages.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias go on for pages trying to define it.

It crosses cultural boundaries, religious significance, and has evolved to mean more than we can fathom.

It is still only four letters...

Why is it so much harder to hold onto, then?

Why is it so much harder to share?


Choice...

Noun and Adjective.

"The right, power, or opportunity to choose." - Dictionary.com

An option.

An act.

The origins of this word come around 1300. From Old French, Germanic, Gothic, and English.

Maybe it hasn't been with us as long.

Maybe we haven't realized it's true power.

But shouldn't we be making better use of it?