How Hate Taught A Gay Man — Grace.

How to turn willful ignorance into mindful learning.

Amathia. Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay. Text added by author.

The older I get (swimming in the sexagenarian end of life’s pool), the more my illusion of knowledge grows more acute. The more I think I know, the more I realize there’s so much more to learn. For example? What have I learned living in a world that teaches hate? How does hate live when we preach love? How can I turn hate into a powerful teacher to be more unconditionally loving?

Here’s a word to help us all understand hate. Amathia. Defined:

1. the state of ignorance created by the refusal to see, acknowledge, or learn something which is necessary for understanding.
2. a righteous or hardheaded mentality resulting from the repeated unwillingness to hear or imagine another’s perspective.
3. a lack of understanding with the ability to understand.
4. willful ignorance.
5. intelligent stupidity.

With time, learning (sometimes painfully) ripens into knowledge. Mix in ample batches of first-hand experience and wha-la! Knowledge matures into wisdom. Without first-hand actual experience, knowledge remains temporal at best.

For example? I read, watched, and listened to a number of coming-out stories on my way to…