When Love Turns to Hate

Let's talk about love and hate.  The two emotions are like two sides of the same coin, as both are al-consuming passions.  According to scientists, there is one important difference.  Love, you see, tends to deactivate the areas of the brain that lead to judgment and reasoning; whereas, hate really does not.  What does that mean, and why is it important to family law?  It means that when we fall in love, we suspend judgment and tend to be less critical of the object of our affections.  The one we love can do no harm, they are perfect.  When that love turns to hate, however, all the flaws we ignored come front and center.  Our calculating selves kick in and we turn that passion toward devising ways to seek revenge, and to assuage our hurt egos. Of course, when love turns to hate instead of simply cooling, family law cases are at their most vicious.  The question is whether it is the job of the family law attorney to be a instrument for that hatred, or rather to be the voice of reason so that the passion can vent and a cooler head can make well thought out decisions.  I vote for the latter; unfortunately, many family law attorneys believe the former.