I dare you to name something or someone thats universally hated.

Satan might come to mind, but he has his followers.

One of the stranger moments of my abby-normal life came a short distance from my residence in Spokane. En route to purchase what had to have been some incredibly healthy food at a nearby 7-11, less than 60 yards from where I was robbed two weeks later, a man mumbling incoherently while walking uphill toward me shocked my socks off by sharing a rush embrace and telling me how much he loved me.

This was troubling.

Still, once I extricated him from my person with tall weeds growing on both sides of the sidewalk our incredibly strange encounter morphed into a semi-straight discussion. Speaking English, he said he was a devil worshiper and challenged me to respond. I agreed he had free will, but suggested he reconsider.

To most, our discussion standing under streetlights on a slanted sidewalk would have seemed strange. And it was. He, in clear English, told a story about a victor in war in 100 percent contradiction to my beliefs. I shared my complete testimony.

He resumed his uphill journey mumbling incoherently and I continued to the 7-11, probably buying one of those tasty, cheap cream pies that my wife no longer will let me eat.

The point here is not to say whos right and whos wrong, but instead to illustrate that ardent enemies to many souls are not universally hated.

Can you think of a food thats universally hated? Possibly my least favorite is liver. Actually, I liked the taste of liver until that one time in college when a bunch of us guys drank beer and ate a big mess of that organ. I certainly wish I had that meal to do over again. I literally gorged myself on liver and pray never to get that sick again.

Im sure its not a clean slate, but from people I speak with theres a major hate going on about large corporations and government that stiff-arm the public with automated phone prompts. Maybe its the era I grew up in, but bouncing through one-way automated prompts and never reaching a human being to talk to equates to frustration to me.

How many times have I entered the dark space of automated directives and realized Ive gone one step too far? Im not a fast learner, but I always have a better chance of reaching my goal (a person) on the second try through. That doesnt mean Ill make it and it does double the frustration when I dont, but, in Biblical and sports terminology, perseverance is considered to be a virtue.

Sometimes you weather the prompt system, get to where you want to go and, still without human contact, you wait.

Thats not uncommon when ones phoning to buy tickets for a special event. In such instances, patience often is critical.

My personal record wait to purchase tickets was 90 minutes. Thats how long I stood phone to ear in Hawaii to purchase three tickets for a Mikhail Baryshnikov ballet.

My parents flew out from Oregon to view the special event. It truly was nirvana for my late mother and me, but less so for my father.

Ballet, no matter the quality, is not his thing.

Plus, on that same night thousands of miles away, Wallowa won a state basketball championship in Baker City. Hell never forgive me for that.

You try to name something thats universally hated. I cant. Even the automated telephone prompts came through in providing a special mother/son evening.

Jabberwock II columnist Rocky Wilson is a reporter for the Chieftain.