Free Seminar by Dr. Bill Garrett, Apr 8 at 9:30 am at UUCB

The public is invited to hear Dr. Bill Garrett give a seminar on "Playing with Fire: The Dangerous Infatuation with Hate in 21st Century American Politics,”, or "Friends come and go; enemies accumulate." Dr. Garrett is a retired professor of religion and philosophy from JFK University and

UC Berkeley. He now teaches through OLLI (the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute).

He says " In times of stress and insecurity, hate seems to arise; it feels natural because it is natural― a predictable response to a sense that we are not in control. Hate is powerful, it can dominate the mind possessed by it. Worst still, hate can feel good― it is a deeply intoxicating emotion that is highly contagious within groups. But no matter the certainties with which the passion can invest us, when hate becomes a social phenomenon, a political disposition, history shows us that the results are disastrous. This is why the current infatuation with hate― on all sides of the political spectrum― holds dangers that are unsuspected by those most firmly in its grip. How can such a potent psychological force be defused? That will be our topic."

All welcome. Apr 8 at 9:30 in the Fireside Room of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Road, Kensington, CA 94707. Free.