garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson) (03/20/85)
> From Hutch: > > Anger is a legitimate emotion. There is nothing about anger that makes > it evil of itself. However, like all emotions, it must be balanced by > reason, and it must not be allowed to fester itself into hatred. > > Does this mean that hatred is an illegitimate emotion? How can one tell > the legitimate ones from the illegitimate ones, then? > > Laura Creighton > utzoo!laura I think the key is the object of the emotion. One is not simply angry, one is angry at something. To be angry at injustice is good; to be angry at someone who won't let you have your own way is not so good. Similarly, there are legitimate targets for the emotion of hatred; as in the (non-biblical) saying, "Hate the sin but love the sinner." (It is difficult to keep the two separate.) The emotion itself is neutral. Gary Samuelson ittvax!bunker!garys