The word misanthropy has its origins in two Greek words, anthrÅpos, meaning “human being,” and misein, meaning “to hate.” There isn’t a more human word than misanthropy. Humanity cohabiting in one word with its most distinctive emotion, hatred.
The fact the word even exists is disconcerting. The idea that so many people hate humankind that we need a word for it is unsettling. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we understand why it exists. We all, at some point, hate what we as a species have done and are doing. We hate our flaws, our hubris, our cruelty, our fear, our hatred.
Misanthropy is unique. It isn’t founded in bias or prejudice. Misanthropes hate everyone equally, including themselves. They look around, see what we have done and conclude, for that moment at least, that humans are a mistake, the universe would have been better off had humanity never been here.
The media constantly remind us of which groups hate one another. Our hatred usually requires a focus, something outside ourselves, the other. However, the misanthrope sees all the malevolence and judges all of us unworthy. The misanthrope grasps what humankind has done to itself and the planet and deems humans to be nothing more than a virus worthy of eradication.
Misanthropy might be a starting point
Misanthropy rises out of despair; an utter loss of hope in people. But for hope to be lost, there must have been hope in the first place. There must have been expectations of worthiness and a love for humanity that was decimated over time.
And somewhere in that loss is a starting point. All the solutions to the infinite challenges we face as a species should perhaps not start with hope but with misanthropy. Maybe everything we do should should go back to the original first principle; the question, “do we believe there is value continuing with humankind?” And then doing whatever is needed to make sure the answer is ‘yes’.