I hate hatred. It sounds so ironic and I feel like a hypocrite when I say it. I hate what? Hate? Hold on, so I'm embracing the very thing I hate through hatred? It confuses me too. I have conversations with myself about this at least once a week. I've never come to a conclusion other than shaking my head, shrugging my shoulders and moving on with my day.

I have given myself permission to hate hatred. I also expect other people to hate whatever it is that boils their blood. Our exceptions of people are often so filtered through our own lens that we forget we've projected them onto others when they were never meant to uphold them.

So we remain constantly disappointed by this world and by other people. Do we set ourselves up for failure? Or do we keep walking in the hope that this world will somehow become decent enough that every single person - from different walks of life - will be satisfied?

Is it possible? I'm not sure. Sometimes it feels as though we dive into the darkest waters, hoping that at the very bottom of our ocean floor we will find a bed of roses; blooming against all odds. But I remain here, on the surface, in turmoil and confusion like the rest. I hope that others feel the same as I do, all the while knowing that deep down I could be a walking threat to the dreams of others for this world. And I have to be okay with that, because harboring hatred for what others believe in will only ever tear me apart inside.

So let me offer you a rose - drenched in the hurt of this world - and know that I only ever hate the own hatred in my heart. Feel free to fly as high as you need to in the beliefs that motivate you. In the end, we are responsible for ourselves. No one else is under our control. Use your voice in love and present your beliefs with respect.

& if you hate the view I have on hate, then so be it.

But know I am just as confused as you are with the state of this world.

I know somehow we can find common ground. Somewhere.

As much as we are different, we remain connected as the human race.

That has to count for something.