--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Enmeshed in collective hatred and anger…" description: "\"“Enmeshed in collective hatred and anger, each side proclaims the crimes of the other and its own righteousness, is unable to listen to the others suff..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/donald-rothberg-56608_anger_enmeshed-in-collective-hatred-and-anger_85626.jpg" --- # Enmeshed in collective hatred and anger, each side… ![“Enmeshed in collective hatred and anger, each side proclaims the crimes of the other and its own righteousness, is unable to listen to the others suffering, and cannot look at the deeper roots of the conflict and how we often need our enemies in order to maintain our rigid identities. (p. 53)” quote by Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/donald-rothberg-56608_anger_enmeshed-in-collective-hatred-and-anger_85626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/donald-rothberg-56608_anger_enmeshed-in-collective-hatred-and-anger_85626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/donald-rothberg-56608_anger_enmeshed-in-collective-hatred-and-anger_85626.jpg) > ““Enmeshed in collective hatred and anger, each side proclaims the crimes of the other and its own righteousness, is unable to listen to the others suffering, and cannot look at the deeper roots of the conflict and how we often need our enemies in order to maintain our rigid identities. (p. 53)”” [Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes how entrenched hostility blinds groups to each other's pain and obscures the underlying causes of conflict, while also suggesting that enemies help preserve rigid identities. **In simple terms:** Hatred blocks empathy and deeper understanding. Key Takeaway Conflict sustains identity through opposition. Themes identity conflict empathy perception polarization Mood reflective somber critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - political negotiations - interfaith dialogues - community reconciliation - peacebuilding workshops Key Concepts group dynamics psychological projection root cause analysis Practical Applications - Mediation training - Conflict resolution curricula Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions about the self are reinforced by labeling others as enemies? - How might recognizing shared suffering change the dynamics of a conflict? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Hatred and anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred-and-anger/) [Hatred Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred-anger/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Everyone was oblivious to the seething hatred and anger that churned in other parts of the city — beneath the surface like an undiscovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/everyone-was-oblivious-to-the-seething-hatred-and-anger-that-churned/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [Hatred - The anger of the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-daudet/hatred-the-anger-of-the-weak/) [Alphonse Daudet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-daudet/) > [Hatred and anger are powerless when met with kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/hatred-and-anger-are-powerless-when-met-with-kindness/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Ultimately, being open and respectful towards each other is much more powerful as a way to diffuse hatred and anger than, you know, layering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/ultimately-being-open-and-respectful-towards-each-other-is-much-more/) [Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/) > [“The killer simply picked any one of the men in gray suits and followed them from office building to cash machine, from lunchtime restaurant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/the-killer-simply-picked-any-one-of-the-men-in-gray-suits-and/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Good works are continually being undone by the tons of hatred and anger which are being poured out on the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/good-works-are-continually-being-undone-by-the-tons-of-hatred-and/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“You forgive the person or situation not because what the person did was right, but you forgive to save yourself the suffering, heartache, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/premlatha-rajkumar/you-forgive-the-person-or-situation-not-because-what-the-person-did/) [Premlatha Rajkumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/premlatha-rajkumar/) > [What we Americans go through to pick a president is not only crazy and unnecessary but genuinely abusive. Hundreds of millions of dollars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/what-we-americans-go-through-to-pick-a-president-is-not-only-crazy/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [It is a retarding element creating hatred and anger, and causing people to fight each other, and making them unsympathetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-a-retarding-element-creating-hatred-and-anger-and-causing/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [If there is a single power the West underestimates, it is the power of collective hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-peters/if-there-is-a-single-power-the-west-underestimates-it-is-the-power-of/) [Ralph Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-peters/) > [“Humanity will not see Peace..Till our World Rids Itself of HATRED and Anger. It's darkness is destorying our Nation & World. Kindness is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/humanity-will-not-see-peace-till-our-world-rids-itself-of-hatred-and/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [“Maybe today, you’re on the receiving end of someone else’s cruel behavior. Or, perhaps you find yourself on the giving end of cruelty. Wherever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-kosaraju/maybe-today-you-re-on-the-receiving-end-of-someone-else-s-cruel/) [Raj Kosaraju](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-kosaraju/) > [Add patience, subtract hatred and anger, multiply hope and divide love for everyone to share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/add-patience-subtract-hatred-and-anger-multiply-hope-and-divide-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon/a-gentle-answer-turns-away-wrath-but-a-harsh-word-stirs-up-anger/) [Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon/) > [To ZHAT: There are times I want to snap its true, I'm not directly aiming it at you, I understand the need for love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/to-zhat-there-are-times-i-want-to-snap-its-true-i-m-not-directly/) [Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/) ## More by Donald Rothberg > [“...it is often more difficult to remember to be mindful than to be mindful itself. (p. 47)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rothberg/it-is-often-more-difficult-to-remember-to-be-mindful-than-to-be/) [Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) > [“ethics is at the center of both spiritual practice and social transformation. Without a strong ethical foundation, we inevitably fall into contradictions-between means and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rothberg/ethics-is-at-the-center-of-both-spiritual-practice-and-social/) [Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) > [“To be mindful of social phenomena is thus to identify more clearly hatred, greed, and delusion as well as the seeds of wisdom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rothberg/to-be-mindful-of-social-phenomena-is-thus-to-identify-more-clearly/) [Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) > [“Suffering can thus be seen in large part as a kind of resistance or reactivity to the pain of the present moment. (p. 74)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rothberg/suffering-can-thus-be-seen-in-large-part-as-a-kind-of-resistance-or/) [Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) > [“Without such trust and safety, social relationships tend to become strategic rather than cooperative, increasingly full of skepticism and even anxiety and fear about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rothberg/without-such-trust-and-safety-social-relationships-tend-to-become/) [Donald Rothberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) [Explore all 6 Donald Rothberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rothberg/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Enmeshed in collective hatred and anger, each side proclaims the crimes of the other and its own righteousness, is unable to listen to the others suffering, and cannot look at the deeper roots of the conflict and how we often need our enemies in order to maintain our rigid identities. 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