Some people see hatred and love as opposites, but in definition, and by the opinion of others, they have more similarities than differences. You hate and you love based on the stimuli you are presented.
How can it be possible to hate and love at the same time? Or can there be only a feeling of hate or love? While humans generally use these terms towards relationships, they are usually found in your response to inanimate objects. However, one might stare at first at the questions and ponder how someone can hate and love at the same time. For some, it has been an exciting journey to discover.
From the Fall of Man, one gets a sense that hate is a straightforward and expected part of one’s life. One is taught to hate from the beginning of life, while love is learned as people grow. Hate has been seen to be a negative emotion, while love is a most definite positive emotion. Hate can easily destructively affect your health, while love seems to affect the body by reducing stress levels and even depression. Hate can drive a person to want to take the life of another, while love desires to rescue or preserve life. Hate has often been a safe zone for many people because they are free to act as they please, while love brings you out of your comfort zone, realizing your words and actions can cause harm.
The author of the book, “Peace Train, A Love Story,” Rénee Mollan-Master, has found love despite what society tells you of hatred between the two opposing nations. The character of Sara Salinger is an average Israeli teen, and her lifestyle is typical of teens worldwide. But when she turns fifteen, she spends a unique – and life-changing – week during the summer with fifteen other high schoolers at a peace camp in the United States. The caveat: half of the campers are native Palestinians, and half are Israeli citizens.
“We are supposed to hate each other.” This sentiment runs through the minds of each camper.
However, Sarah finds true friendship, community, and true love during that extraordinary week. How does she take what she learned and share it with her friends and family back home? Can her thoughts of peace change her world and the world at large? Will her commitment to peace and understanding cost her after the most devastating tragedy strikes her?
An inspiring story of understanding humanity and finding peace amid calamity, “Peace Train, A Love Story” will leave you enthralled and inspired to hope for a better tomorrow.
Readers Reviews
“This is a powerful and moving story about the tension and hatred between Israelis and Palestinians. Sara’s baby is killed in her arms when a Palestinian suicide bomber detonates in a coffee shop they were in—years before a group of Israelis and Palestinian youth attended camp together in the USA. They learned a new way to control hatred and anger. Can this be transferred into this situation? Can they say No More anger in their pain? This is well written and her story is moving!” – reviewed by an anonymous reader.
“Peace Train is a simple story that embodies every man’s quest for love, acceptance, and respect and offers tools to develop those relationships with our foes. It inspired me to behave more proactively towards others different from me.” – reviewed by Donna, Business Owner.
“The Peace Train book was amazing! After reading the book, I did a Friendship Pod moment with my 12-year-old son. I don’t think I’ve ever sat and listened to my son that long without interrupting. We connected in a whole new way.” – reviewed by James, Internet Marketer.
Author’s Bio
Renée Mollan-Masters holds a Master’s Degree from California State University, Fullerton, in Speech Pathology. She lives in Oregon on a large piece of wooded land. Renée’s partner and love of her life for thirty years passed away four years ago. She has learned that life is short and attempts to live wholeheartedly every day. Her Motto: “I do not write to fill a hole; I write to express my wholeness.”
