“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.” ~ Buddha

Poison isn’t always something you eat or drink – it can be an emotion. And hate is one of them, eating you up inside and causing destruction.
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Hatred is a feeling that we all have felt and experienced at some point in our lives.
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Hateful feelings are normal when they occur sporadically. However, the effects of feeling hatred over a long period of time can have devastating effects on your mind and body.
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Feelings of rage and hatred build up in the mind and in the body, affecting the body’s organs and natural processes and breeding further negative emotions.
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Hatred is a form of neurosis, fixation and judgment that is harmful to you. If continued, it leads to conflicts in relationships and to bodily disease.
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Research shows that hatred changes the chemistry in the brain as it stimulates the premotor cortex which is responsible for planning and execution of motion. This prepares us to act aggressively when feeling hateful, either to defend or as an attack. This activation also triggers the autonomic nervous system, creating “fight or flight” responses, increasing cortisol and adrenalin.
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In the martial arts it is this “fight or flight” response that we need to control. When confronted by an attacker, the extra chemicals given to us are exactly what is required, but when the chemicals are rushing though our bodies when we don’t really need them, they are destructive.
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Hatred also triggers the mind to try to predict what the actions of the person being hated may do, as a way to protect you, but this leads to further anxiety, restlessness, obsessive thinking and even paranoia.
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Hate, whether turned inward or out, creates a destructive state of mind that wreaks havoc with your physical health and emotional well-being. And like a hot coal, the sooner you rid yourself of this toxic emotion, the less damage it can do and the healthier and happier you’ll be.
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Feed hatred and IT will grow. Confront it, understand it and disassemble it and YOU will grow. ??