Dionne Warwick recorded a song with the words:

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.…

How true!

In other words this world needs:

• A little more compassion.
• A little less anger.
• More smiles, hugs, and handshakes.
• A greater number of people willing to listen to others, empathize with them, and lend a shoulder for them to cry on.
• No prejudice and more unity, peace and understanding.
• Greater tolerance and acceptance of other people’s personalities, choices, and peculiarities.
• Last but not least, the elimination of hate.

This world might not be perfect, but it’s the only one we’ve got and if you look closely, it indeed is wonderful.  This wonderful world is, unfortunately, tainted with the negative issues some people bring to it.  The problem is not with our world but with the choices we make to not love the way we should.  Whatever we don’t like about the world we live in, whatever doesn’t work the way we think it should, will not be resolved until we become a people of unity and choose to love.  By living in unity and love we will make the world a better place.  No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, background or his religion.  People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love because love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.  Teach your child how to love. You should not teach them how to hate.

This is a plea for love not hate.  Whatever your beliefs spread love and not hate.  We are here to heal, not harm.  We are here to love not hate.  We are here to create and not destroy.  A heart filled with love has no room for hate.  It’s our differences that make us unique and beautiful.  Everyone is entitled to their beliefs and values.  If you don’t like it why make a person miserable? Kindness matters. You don’t need a reason to be kind to another person.  The late poet Maya Angelou said “hate has caused a lot of problems in this world but it has not solved one problem yet. “ Throughout your life you will find people who will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad.  It takes a mature person to not carrying hate in their heart because hate will consume you.    Hate is too great a burden to bare.

Choose to love rather than hate.  Choose to smile rather than frown. Choose to build rather than destroy.  Choose to praise rather than gossip. Choose to forgive rather than curse.  The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards real freedom.   Getting through tough times together strengthens relationships.  No matter what our differences might be choose to stand together.  No one is perfect but we must be willing to let another person express their views and opinions without thinking that they are bad.  Being different doesn’t mean that someone is wrong.  Let’s enjoy this world.  Let’s enjoy one another.  We are meant to love one another not to hate one another. In the end nothing we do or say in this lifetime will matter as much as the way we have loved one another.

Keep your heart free from hate and your mind free from worry. Give much and expect little.  Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Be a blessing and walk in love.  Don’t be envious of another person’s blessings.  Count your own.  You will find that you receive more when you are grateful for what you already have.  Do not let the world make you hard.  Don’t allow the pain in your life make you bitter.  Even though the world seems to be filled with anger and hatred, wherever you go take love with you and give it away. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate and adds more darkness to an already dark world. Hate cannot drive out hate – only love can do that.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)