Forum Post: Beware of HATRED: it is what derailed the French Revolution

No need to dwell on the past...

However, as George Santayana put it, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Remember the French Revolution. How exciting, how promising the way it started out, with the storming of the hated Bastille and the proclamation of the very first "Declaration of Human Rights".

But the people were not sufficiently mature, not spiritually ready. There was too much HATRED in too many hearts, hatred of the King, his family and, of course, the aristocrats in general. Soon the GUILLOTINE reigned supreme, and the hopes of the Revolution were dashed by "le regime de la Terreur", followed less than a decade later by the dictatorship of the warmongering Napoleon.

If I could write this in huge red letters, I would: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION WAS DERAILED IN GREAT PART BY H A T R E D.

Let this be a warning for us today and for the OWS Movement: never forget the lessons of history. Anger, rage, hatred ARE natural human emotions and are not "evil", but P L E A S E be aware of their presence in you so that they have less power over you and don't dictate your actions and reactions.