
Fortune News | Oct 25, 2024
Apr 22 , 2023
By Eden Sahle
I have observed people, including those close to me, discriminate against others or suffer social injustice because of their background.
The stress and pain may stretch to the point of breaking up marriages and families, leaving children with an identity crisis and societies with division and enmities. Hate speech has become rampant on social media platforms and in real life.
The elderly couple I have acquaintance with are no different.
To the casual observer, they might appear as an embodiment of success and propriety. With accomplished children and a long-lasting marriage, they could be held up as role models for others. However, behind the facade lies a deep-rooted hostility, as they have actively sought to dissolve their children's marriages and reject their grandchildren due to differing backgrounds. This uncompromising attitude has forced their children to sever ties with them, revealing the destructive nature of prejudice even within seemingly picture-perfect families.
It is sickening to see older people who were presumed to have wisdom speak drivel and spread hate. Sadly, they are not alone.
A former colleague left Ethiopia for the United States (US) after experiencing similar hostility. Seven months pregnant, her husband abruptly annulled their marriage due to his family's disapproval of her background. Devastated, she felt compelled to seek solace elsewhere, joining countless others who had been forced from their homes by forces beyond their control.
Our basic human needs, thoughts, and emotions are deeply interconnected with each other, regardless of our background.
Phycologists attribute hate to some perceived threat. It is an attitude that triggers hostility and aggression toward others, a reaction to and destruction from some form of inner pain. They explain that people who hate others believe the only way to overcome their pain is to strike out at others preemptively.
These crises lie in our history, culture, politics and family. Each moment of hate is a temporary reprieve from their own inner suffering.
We live in a society that is accustomed to violence in which hate becomes the way of life, in fear of connection because division has become paramount. We are taught to consider others as enemies for being different. Fighting is embraced rather than amiability, while empathy and unity are infrequent.
The heightened hate and fueling crisis in society have serious effects on our personal lives and economic damage.
Development and prosperity would be a myth if the road down the line remains the same because hate has a powerful destructive ability to damage core values permanently. It numbs the guilt and shame that people ought to feel for prejudice.
History teaches us how hate can be exploited, leading an entire nation to commit despicable crimes against others. It would be wise not to repeat it.
Change can come if society challenges the underlying toxic beliefs and assumptions of looking down on others. This would allow communities to reclaim humanity, lifting the heavy weight off of each other. It frees many who are paying unnecessary painful prices because of their background.
PUBLISHED ON
Apr 22,2023 [ VOL
24 , NO
1199]
Fortune News | Oct 25, 2024
Agenda | May 13,2023
Delicate Number | Jul 15,2023
Fortune News | Jul 01,2023
Fortune News | Oct 13, 2024
Fortune News | Jan 28,2023
Agenda | Jul 06,2025
Viewpoints | Mar 01,2024
Radar | Dec 01,2024
Commentaries | May 02,2024
Photo Gallery | 148487 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 138689 Views | Apr 26,2019
My Opinion | 134522 Views | Aug 14,2021
My Opinion | 131094 Views | Aug 21,2021
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Aug 30 , 2025
For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...
Aug 23 , 2025
Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...
Aug 16 , 2025
A decade ago, a case in the United States (US) jolted Wall Street. An ambulance opera...
Aug 9 , 2025
In the 14th Century, the Egyptian scholar Ibn Khaldun drew a neat curve in the sand....
Aug 30 , 2025
At a high-profile event held at the Sheraton Addis last week, the launch of Dashen Ba...
Aug 30 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
Ethio telecom, one of the long-standing state-owned monopolies, has publicly committe...
Federal education officials have issued a stern warning to private colleges, where a...
Aug 30 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
The Ethiopian Insurance Corporation (EIC) delivered a robust pre-tax profit of 1.98 b...