Why do people say that Indifference is the opposite of love, and not hate?

[TenderFantasy]

I never understood that to be honest. I think that's a rather stupid/dumb thing to say. If I hate something, I want to HURT it or KILL it, and if I LOVE something, I want to PROTECT it from HARM and NOT want to HURT it! If I'm just indifferent, then I do NOT care. I don't want to hurt or kill it, but I just do not care. To me that is better than hating. Do you see my point? !

[laly520]

hate is deeper than being indifferent

[TenderFantasy]

Exactly.

[VanillaBomb]

I don't know, it makes no sense

[TenderFantasy]

Lol, why did your answer show up at the bottom when I picked yours first lol.

[VanillaBomb]

No idea but thanks love

[Joshydavid25]

It was coined by a woman who survived the Holocaust.. Elie Wiesel.. Basically stating that the opposite of caring deeply is not caring at all.. Hate is still caring deeply, but also an extreme deep hurt.. So hurt that it overrides those feelings of caring deeply..

Think if one family member killed another, you cared so deeply for both of them, that if one killed another the hurt, pain, and betrayal you feel will mesh with those deep feelings of caring and create hatred..

Apathy hurts on a different level.. The absence of strong care is no care at all.. Any attention is better than no attention.. That's what she conveyed with the quote..

[TenderFantasy]

Well she was stupid. I'd rather have an ex or someone not care about me at all, instead of them making plans to KILL me and/or my loved ones!

That's not the type of "caring" I am talking about and that's not the very definition of care at all. Yeah, maybe care can have two definitions, sure. I think you're (or they) are getting confused, confusing the word "Care" with getting upset or bothered. Those are TWO different things! Of course you care if someone tries to hurt you (emotionally or physically), that's because the main purpose of a human being is to survive and reproduce! I really hope you are getting what I am saying.

[TenderFantasy]

Like I care if I feel hungry and therefore I try and get food to eat.

If I don't care about Bill Gate's daughter or ex-wife going hungry, because they are rich, it really won't affect them, my lack of "caring" and it also WON'T kill them! However... if I HATE the Gate's and bomb their house, then that will be the end for them... HATE is stronger and more dangerous than indifference or lack of care (apathy) any day.

[Joshydavid25]

Well, from her point of view experiencing the Holocaust, she seen what apathy looks like, and in her eyes it was torturous.. This woman went through hell and back and see that for a long time while Hitler was rounding the Jews up and slaughtering them, nobody cared.. Nobody lent a helping hand until millions were already dead..

I understand where you're coming from in that it's better that your ex doesn't care about you at all anymore than hate you and I agree.. In that case it is better.. But I don't think she was saying hate is better than apathy.. Just that Apathy is the opposing force of love and not so much hate.. Hate is stronger and more dangerous.. As Hitler hated the Jews, and it caused him to facilitate the their temporary demise..

[ZackBan]

I'm no doctor but I heard that both love and hate engage the same brain reactions so in a way the gap between love and hate is very small.

But it is large between love and indifference.

Think about it: you can go from loving someone to hating them in an instant based on what they do to you.
But it takes a lot to get over someone (i. e. become truly indifferent about them)

[TenderFantasy]

No that's just your ego talking if you can easily go from Loving someone to hating them in an instant. If you can easily do that, then you never truly loved them to begin with.

They say you can never really continue to hate someone that you truly loved.

[ZackBan]

Ego has nothing to do with it.
Hatred stems from feeling betrayed most of the time. Either directly or indirectly.
Someone doing or saying things that you consider wrong when you where convinced they would do right according to your own word views.

That is why a child can hate much more easily since his word views are often basic and idealistic, while an adult will have more stoicism and therefore be indifferent to many things people say and do.

But ultimately love and hate both require an active consideration of the other person (or even thing or concept) which is why they are more easily permuted compared to true indifference which requires cutting off that consideration and chosing not to know or care what someone does or thinks

[TenderFantasy]

"That is why a child can hate much more easily since his word views are often basic and idealistic, while an adult will have more stoicism and therefore be indifferent to many things people say and do."

Oh ego has PLENTY to do with it. Or feelings for that matter. If it wasn't for your ego/feelings, you would not CARE about getting betrayed or hurt!

Also, that's not true of all adults. Some adults are very capable of having deep hatred in their hearts. Why do you think a certain population of adults KILL their pregnant wives because she cheated on him? So now he gets to go to PRISON for murdering not only her but her unborn baby. You cannot speak for all adults and say they are all capable of being "stoic" or unaffected by things going on in their lives. It's just human nature.

More examples would be adults killing because of road rage. Police men/women being trigger happy. People can very often be pushed to the edge if you provoke or instigate them enough.

[ZackBan]

I never said all adults and you picked an example that happens maybe 0.000001% of the time to contradict me.

Not even sure how ego factors in any of this.
Egomaniacs tend to be indifferent about other people as well and only intersted in themselves.
You do not hate the things you genuinely consider "beneath you" hate requires you to be threatened in some way.

Like the saying goes:
People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer.

[ObscuredBeyond]

Hatred still makes a thing a priority. Just in a twisted way. Indifference is deadlier, as it eliminates the possibility of a thing being a priority.

You can detest someone, and still find some reason not to let them drown. Total indifference, however, will guarantee that you let them drown without remorse.

[TenderFantasy]

Hate kills. I don't think there's anything more scary and dangerous than that!

[SweetDripp]

If someone hates someone, they still get a strong visceral reaction from that person much like love inspires a strong visceral reaction. Indifference would mean the person isn’t even worth your time to think about which would be the opposite of spending every waking moment thinking of someone you truly love.

[TenderFantasy]

I disagree. Like I said, I'd rather have my ex be indifferent towards me and my family instead of them feeling like they MUST kill me or hurt me. It is the TOTAL opposite of love! Did you not read my subtext in the question? ? ! If you HATE someone you want to OFF them/ HURT them, make their lives MISERABLE or extract revenge on them! That is how I feel about people I do not like in the least actually! If I am indifferent, it's still not love or care, but the affects or the actions, reactions associated with that emotion isn't positive either. I hope you get what I mean! And there is no "visceral reaction" or normal/innate reaction as people react differently to different things. Someone could be rejected by someone and are able to move on, fast and well, while someone else can take it to the extreme and off them because "If I can't have you, no one else can!" Do you see how that is WORSE than just being Indifferent? ? ! Which is a NEUTRAL emotion? ? ! I am ALWAYS indifferent to people that I don't know or have never met. Why would I have any type of reaction to them? ! Especially a bad one, unless they did something bad to me, THEN I will react accordingly!

[SweetDripp]

I understand your perspective. I was just trying to answer your question on why some people say indifference, rather than hate, is the opposite of love.

[Anonymous]

Indifference is neutral. Hate is the opposite of love. People who say otherwise are in denial and complete idiots

[dudeinohio]

Incorrect. Apathy is actually the opposite of love.

Love Is a strong positive emotion so you need the opposite, which is a weak negative emotion, such as Apathy.

[TenderFantasy]

@dudeinohio Wrong. Apathy is a NEUTRAL emotion. You do not HATE nor LOVE them. So it's a GRAY emotion. It's like nothing. No feelings for the person. I'd rather have someone do that to me than say HATING me enough to want to HURT me physically or emotionally.

[Sevenpointfive]

your subliminals were dry. i did not get the meaning

[TenderFantasy]

? ? ? What subliminals?

[Sevenpointfive]

ok. my bad. i thought there was a hidden meaning

[CozyCoffin]

It suggests that animosity, disinterest, and lack of engagement are more of a threat as hatred shows you still are affected by them.

[TenderFantasy]

Lol that would hardly threaten my life honestly. If they don't care, then they don't care. I cannot force them. That's not illegal to do.

[CozyCoffin]

A Holocaust survivor is credited with saying that in regards to it. As much with many sayings, it because of common usage. What's more of an issue, actions done to hurt people or those able to stop it doing nothing?

[CozyCoffin]

Became* I hate autocorrect.

[TenderFantasy]

The former obviously. The latter, it's not their business. They have every right to not intervene with let's say a robbery, a physical assault, domestic whatever. That's the police's job, not some scrawny bystander or someone that's unarmed.

[NathanDavis]

really never heard of it

[Jennz6]

I never heard that before