I want to start today with the definition of the word verb. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines verb as, “Verbs are words that show an action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state of being (exist). Almost every sentence requires a verb. The basic form of a verb is known as its infinitive. The forms call, love, break, and go are all infinitives.” An infinitive usually just adds the word “to.” So in the last part of the definition by Merriam-Webster, would be to call, to love, to break, and so on. It’s kind of early in the morning for me to be going over grammar too.
With the definitions out of the way, I want to talk about the word “love.” I think the most common use of the word love is in a sentence such as this, “I love you.” It is a phrase we all use, but always in a limited way. We might say that to our significant other or to a family member. We won’t use it even to an exceptionally good friend of the opposite sex to avoid misunderstanding. Love is usually directed at the singular entity. For example, “I love roses” or back to the phrase “I love you.”
With the thought love is usually directed at a single entity, let’s look at another word that is the opposite of love – hate. Except for moments of high passion, i.e., “I hate you,” it is usually directed at the group. For example, I hate Martians. I have always been fascinated by the fact that these two words are almost always used for a single entity in the case of “love” or “hate,” it’s almost always used in a multiple. That’s an awkward sentence, but I hope you understand what I’m saying.
Why do we generally love in the singular and hate in the multiple? I think it has to do with the fact that that hate is used negatively. For example, “I hate those slimy, purple-skinned, bug-eyed Martians.” I think it’s easier to hate an entire group if we don’t know someone within that group. For example, “I like Onvet, but I’m not sure about the other Martians.”
We are seeing other examples of hate in our society. It’s being directed at Asians and Pacific Islanders. The source of that hatred seems to come from the Covid virus being labeled the “Chinese virus.” People are not responsible for any virus. Viruses developed as the enemy of bacteria first and then moved on to infect other living things. They are simply a fact of the living world. If you want to hate something, go ahead hate viruses. You don’t hate lions or tigers even though they view you as a food source and would kill you and teach you. You understand that’s their nature. The same is true of viruses. Don’t hate other humans for the actions of a virus.
