GRADE MY HOMEWORK! Does Hate = Ignorance?

For the last several weeks I have been a student in an online creative writing class. This was a very creative and wonderful birthday gift from Everett, and I have had a lot of fun BS'ing my way through. That was basically how I made it through undergrad and grad school.


Recently, one of our homework assignments was to list five things I hate. They could be as little as a hangnail or as large as a world leader. I was then supposed to pick my most eccentric choice to be sure no one else in the class would pick the same thing, and write a short piece presenting my "hate." I thought I would share my short story with you and let YOU GRADE IT! Here you go:


One of my mantras is "not to hate." But from time-to-time, irritants arise that conjure up feelings of despise. Despise is a strong word I know, but I think you would feel the same way if something has a negative affect on life in general. That is really what it is all about anyway, being happy and making the world a great place. So if you do not like something, avoid it? That is easier said than done.


Things that can make me crazy include Sunday drivers in the passing lane; parents who ignore their screaming children in public; drunk guys who urinate on my lawn; and people who abuse animals. These things do not have an affect on me solely, but on everyone. They create bad energy.


Although I try not to be a contributor to bad energy, and believing that hating something creates bad energy, I unfortunately absolutely hate it when people throw lit cigarette butts out of their car windows.It is as if the earth is their trashcan, and will automatically dispose of their fiery stub they no longer need.


I have seen the result of lit cigarette butts being thrown out of a car window, like car fires and hundreds of burned acres. Did these litterbugs ever stop to think of the consequences? There are animals, people, homes, crops and property all at risk all the time from natural disasters, while now also at risk from a human addiction.


Maybe my ignorance about addiction is what makes me hate the pitching of lit butts from a car equipped with an ashtray. It is usually ignorance that creates hate. Could it be the addiction or the excuse of addiction to nicotine I should hate? Either way, instead of hating, I use the opportunity to point out to those that do not want to litter their own environment on wheels, but the environment of all natural things, they are littering by snapping a picture. They hate that!