How do people justify hate?

They say that hate is something that is learned. I'm not sure about that. Sometimes I think people use hate as way to shield themselves from dealing with reality. Like the person who hates gay people because he is scared to death that someone may find out that he is gay. This makes no sense. You spend all your energy hating when you could be learning to love yourself for who you are and not hiding behind a false shield. I was told once that everyone hates something but I disagree with that. There are many things that I don't like but like my mother always said Hate is a strong word. There are many times I do not like other people actions but do I hate them - No! If we could all learn to love a little more and hate a little less this world would be a much better place. Hate is usually caused by ignorance. If we do not understand something or are afraid of something it is easier to hate then to spend the time exploring our feelings and learning to understand why we have them. Only then can we make a choice as to whether or not our THINKING was faulty. When we can admit we do not know or understand something it opens the door for learning and I bet if you tried this just once a day your world would be a much better place. My wish is for people to question what they have been taught to believe and to ask themselves if it really is true. So maybe as youngsters we learn certain things from our parents and the people in our environment but as adults we have the choice to continue to accept these beliefs. If they are not based on fact - something we have experienced then we have to ask ourselves why we continue to think that way. My challenge for you today is to think about one belief that you have and ask yourself whether it is based on fact or fiction and either way does that thinking enhance your world or diminish it. Please just try it once - you may be surprised by the results.