You nailed it - on so many levels! You ask us at the end who we hate and why, but my answer would be the same as yours: *** the hate is not my own. I don't hate people. I can hate behaviors, situations etc... But people are complex systems of emotions, motivations, behaviors and quirks. Can one truly hate the combination and collection that is a person? I know I can't.*** I'm not sure I can even hate a murderer; I feel sadness more than hate. Sad that a human being could turn so cold and hard and unfeeling, able to kill and discard someone like roadside trash. If I witnessed the act of murder, I'd probably feel the hate for the killer. If I saw the body. I do use the word "hate" more often than I should - like "I hate when that happens" and I hate new technology when I fail to master it, but I know it's my own incompetence I'm hating, or the indifference of the universe when fire, ice, and storms kill people. Sorry this is so long. You set off a chain reaction of thoughts! Thanks for writing, and I have a hard time imagining that anyone could hate you - my guess would be only a spurned would-be lover could say that because there's often such a fine line between love and hate. :)