I have constantly gone back and forth as to whether or not I should share my thoughts on social media, or through a website like Odyssey. Fear of judgment or lack of writing confidence held me back from expressing the thoughts that built up in my head each day. However, after this semester, I have had enough thoughts gather in my head to finally share what I've been thinking. I have witnessed too much hate that I would ever imagine, in simple and complex ways, on a daily basis on my own college campus.

I have begun to notice this trend of hatred in a subtle but heavy way throughout the course of my freshman and sophomore years of college. I hear it in the conversations of students in class, between groups of people studying, or people eating in the dining hall. Whenever I hear these types of comments, I can’t help but think to myself how much of a horrific image one can create for themselves when hateful words come out of their mouth. The conversations I hear between people consist of virtual things, such as commenting on how someone looked ugly in an Instagram, or larger things, such as commenting on how someone has gained weight or has ‘let themselves go.’ I simply am astounded how some people find the need to take time out of their day to comment on something that physically does not affect them in any way. It also is astounding how when people say these types of things, judging other people, they act as if they have no remorse or act as if they have no flaws themselves. Although it may seem hard to relate polar opposite ideas, this idea of hate strongly connects to the overall idea of this article: the meaning of love.

In a world filled with violence, poverty, illness, and political division, love is the force that draws people together and provides meaning to life. Love takes many different forms; it could be love of a pet, love of a family member, love of a boyfriend or girlfriend. Most importantly, there can be a love of oneself. I personally believe that if someone doesn’t love themselves, and love how they contribute to the world, they really are not fully capable of loving the world around them. If the majority of our population wants to live in a world of prosperity and peace, then I must ask: Why is there so much hate?

If people are constantly judging others and commenting on worthless things about other people, how are they supposed to love themselves? If people aren’t loving themselves, how is the world going to be one full of peace and prosperity? While people are entitled to their own opinions, I will never understand how people can negatively judge someone for simply being themselves.

There are certain topics that receive hate that I hear in conversations that I myself will never seem to understand. Some of these topics include homosexuality, obesity, or even simple things such as the sound of someone’s voice. What I fail to understand is how people can judge someone for something that they physically have no control over and are born with. Judging someone because they look a certain way is essentially like judging someone born with a disability; in both cases, the person is physically born with a characteristic, and have no control. If science has proven that people are born as gay, how is it fair that our society can judge these people for something they were simply born with? How is it fair that someone has “an annoying voice” when they were not the ones who created their own vocal glands, but it was simply how they were born? When I hear people make hateful comments like these, I simply wonder to myself how they would act if they were in their victim’s situation.

Love comes in a variety of forms, and each person demonstrates their love in a different way. But love is more than a word. Love is actions. Love is helping your friend study for an exam that they are losing sleep over. Love is getting a favorite candy your boyfriend or girlfriend. Love is visiting your grandmother even if you don’t have a lot of time in your busy schedule. Love is simply texting your parents, “I love you” before they go to bed each night. But, most importantly, love is respect. Love is treating others with kindness, friendliness, and comfort. In a world full of hate I simply ask: Where is the love?