Life: Hate Paints an Ugly Picture

This past weekend I attended an event with the rest of 31 Percent at an art gallery in the city. I was extremely impressed by how the night began. There was a great décor, drinks and appetizers, not to mention, the artwork was mind-blowing. To add to my delight, everything was free of charge. The room was filled with intelligent people who have achieved varying degrees of success in their careers. As the evening began, I was under the impression that the pastel paintings on the walls would be the only artwork on display. As it turned out, I got to witness first-hand the dark images that drape the canvas of “HATE.”

“Her hair is a mess.” “Look at those shoes.” “They don’t even have Ciroc here.” “Why is he so short?” These are just a few of the statements I overheard coming from a group of women. They huddled in the corner, Mascato in hand, dishing out criticism of everyone who entered the gallery. They sat with scowls on their faces, scrutinizing patrons, as if they were judges on an Olympic committee. As I watched these women give out no score higher than a four, I had so many questions. Who died and made them art gallery critics? Are they really upset that this guy is only 5’6? Who gets mad at a free event? Most importantly, why must I constantly encounter people like this? Only one word could answer my series of questions...HATE!

Some people hate that you have a better job than them. They despise the fact that you have a nice car. They are peeved that you went on a date with some girl they went to high school with ten years ago! This hate is then coupled with childish behavior. The rolling of the eyes, the sucking of the teeth and the always-present gossiping. Although unnecessary in my eyes, some people view these acts as part of their daily regimen.

The question remains, why? Why spend your time on negativity? Instead of being envious of someone else’s possessions, you should ask what they did to achieve success. Instead of being angry at another woman for dating “the man of your dreams,” you should realize that there are 20 other individuals in the room who could be “the man of your reality.” There is so much scrutinizing taking place, but people often fail to do the criticizing where it matters the most...WITHIN!

If someone isn’t happy with the current state of their lifestyle, it’s no one’s responsibility to change things but their own. Figure out what you want and get it! Get to the point in your life where you have more important things to do than snicker at someone who has on last year’s Polo. Because quite frankly, Hate Paints an Ugly Picture.