You don’t have to hate.

We all get to choose how we respond to other people. We all can respond with kindness, or generosity, or with grace. Alternatively, we can choose to respond with anger, bitterness and hate.

We weren’t born with hate in our hearts and minds. It is a learned behaviour and we can choose to unlearn it.

After the hateful Bondi attack in December 2025 when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration, Liberal MP Julian Leeser said on the ABC Daily Podcast, “What starts with hateful words doesn’t end with hateful words.” Whatever your thoughts on his politics, I think on this point we can all agree. If hateful words are your starting point, then it is very difficult to de-escalate from there. You really only leave yourself one way to go. It’s not a guarantee that hateful words will always turn to violence but you can be sure that it is a much longer journey from kindness to violence than from hateful words to violence.

Hate and violence are a choice. You don’t have to choose it.

If you have to say or do something, leave yourself somewhere to go. Err on the side of kindness. Start from generosity.