If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, you know that the rivers that run through Hell are the Styx, the Lethe, the Phlegethon, the Cocytus, and the Acheron. Dante’s Christian version of Hell includes four of the five while moving the lesser river Lethe to Purgatory.

The river Styx is said to wind around Hell nine times before merging with the other four rivers. In Greek mythology the Styx separates the world of the living from the underworld. Its name comes from the Greek word for hate and therefore, the Styx is called the river of hate.

From the racial killings in France last week to the shooting of Trayvon in Florida last month, from the endless suicides of bullied children in our schools to the sexist remarks by Rush Limbaugh and others, it feels like the whole world is bathing in the murky waters of the river Styx.

What happened to the Christian principle of love thy neighbor as thy self? What happened to the love culture of the late sixties? How have we gone so far off course?

Is it capitalism that makes us fearful of each other? Or perhaps, jealous? Is it technology that has cut us off from true emotions?

In a mere forty years we’ve moved in the polar opposite direction from love to hate, but past events have shown us we are still good people. The attack on the World Trade Center, Katrina, the Haiti earthquake. Events such as these moved us to action, moved us to help our neighbors, but for each one step forward we’ve taken three steps back.

How can we get out of this river of Hate? What are your thoughts?