How Can We Love the Haters?

Stay calm and centered. 

Remember the Freedom Fighters, who went through extensive training so they could stand in nonviolence even as they were being dragged off of buses and beaten? Most of us don’t have that kind of resolve because our egos want to jump in and defend or attack. But in countless smaller ways, we can be a solid force for peace by modeling it.

If you find yourself in a group spewing hate, ask for your fear-based thoughts to be healed. Ask to be an instrument of peace. Take deep breaths. And, if you can, say one thing that can diffuse the situation. Be the voice that says, “This is an opportunity to see things a different way.”

As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.”