Gene's Blog

Enemies

This is from Steve Goodier, who though I have never met him, I consider to be quite a good friend.  This is both an amusing and truthful look at this issue.  And I have an idea about this that he did not mention.  So I will once you’ve since his story.  :^)

SO YOU HAVE ENEMIES?

A knight returned to his castle at twilight. He was a mess. His armor
was dented, his helmet askew, his face was bloody, his horse was
limping and he listed to one side in the saddle. His lord met him at
the gate, asking, “What has befallen you, Sir Knight?”

Straightening himself up as best he could, he replied, “Oh, Sire, I
have been laboring in your service, robbing and burning and pillaging
your enemies to the west.”

“You have been what?” cried the startled nobleman. “But I haven’t any
enemies to the west!”

“Oh!” said the knight. And then, after a pause, “Well, I think you do
now.”

What about you? Enemies to the west? Or the north, or the south, or
the east? None of us will calmly sail through our lives in perfect
harmony with everyone we meet. And though most conflict can be
resolved along the way, and most of our bruised re­lationships can
eventually be healed, some passionate issues may threaten to drive a
per­manent wedge between people. Heartfelt moral and political
stances, especially, can polar­ize folks who just as passionately hold
differing positions.

Former U.S. Ambassador Claire Booth Luce once observed: “I don’t have
a warm per­sonal enemy left. They’ve all died off. I miss them
terribly because they helped define me.”

So-called “enemies” can serve a valuable purpose. If we let them, they
can teach us about ourselves. By holding a mirror before us, they can
help us see what we may have missed. By disa­gree­ing with our
heartfelt convictions, they can sharpen our points of view. And, if
we allow it, they can unwittingly help us practice strength and
compas­sion in the face of criticism.

If enemies cannot become friends, they can become teachers. If we
listen, they will teach us what our friends cannot.

— Steve Goodier

I just want to point out that enemies need not be people.  In all truth, I think most often they are not.  They are parts of ourselves we do not understand nor love.  It is in finding these hidden parts of ourselves, understanding them, loving them into our existence that we become fully conscious creatures capable of moving mountains.  We’ll all get there one day.  And what a day THAT will be.  I hope you’ve all had a marvelous holiday and an equally wonderful season to come.  much love, :^) gene