Self-hatred never originates within oneself but rather is a projection onto oneself from one's environment. In that sense, self-hatred is not hatred of the self at all—rather it is hatred of how the self is perceived.
Believe it or not, one of the biggest weapons in the darkness' arsenal is seriousness because seriousness traps us in fear, making every choice feel like it's life-or-death.
...and then there's the middle child, who probably also has a special place in their parent's heart, but it's a place that's only visited from time to time—somewhere in the lost and found section, right next to the other hopes and dreams they've forgotten or abandoned, lol.
