I kinda like this. Not something I’ve worked towards but it is a by-product of doing great things. Be hated. Are you? I guess I am in certain small circles. But I’m not evil.

Be hated.

Have strong convictions. Don’t be too accommodating to the mediocre.

It all takes work.

Are you up to it? Do you have the guts?

Written by Adrian Tan, this was part of his speech to the NTU raduating class of 2008.

Be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.