LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
An enemy is defined as a person who is actively opposed or
hostile to someone or something hostile and deadly. Some common synonyms of
this word are: foe, opponent, rival, adversary, antagonist and combatant.
The answer given to the question : How are enemies made? is
as follows:
“ Enemies are often created through a combination of factors
like misunderstanding, disagreements, hurtful action, competition for
resources, group identification, political or ideological differences, personal
jealousy, and sometimes even the perception of an “other” which can be fuelled
by propaganda or societal divisions; essentially, when individuals or groups
perceive a threat or conflicting interests from one another. “
The way to be free from enemies lies in the policy of
co-existence, of living and letting live. Don’t try to prove yourself holier, abler, wiser, superior and luckier.
Greed is one of the major causes of enmity. Ever country
wants to grab as much territory as
possible, by hook or by crook. For this
there are wars.
The desire to become more prosperous than other countries is
another cause for enmity. Unfortunately, nature has not distributed its various
resources equally among all the nations. Had it been so, there would have been the
least possible enmity.
As for enmity between two persons, the remedy lies in giving
up hatred and defamation . Love changes enemies into friends .Your enemy may be a sincere critic who observes your
weaknesses and draws your attention to remove them. To fight with your enemy is
the worst remedy.
Love conquers enmity; hatred expands it.
The Greek playwright Aristophanes (Born 445 BC) said: Men of
sense often learn from their enemies. It is from hem their foes, not their
friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war; and
their lesson saves their children, their homes, and their properties.
Another Greek essayist
and philosopher Plutarch (46-120) gives
this piece of advice: “Let us carefully observe those good qualities wherein
our enemies excel us, and endeavour to excel them by avoiding what is faulty,
and imitating what is excellent in them.”
To conclude, the words of the English historian and poet Aleyn (1590-1640)
“The fine and noble way to destroy a
foe, is not to kill him; with kindness you may so change him that he shall
cease to be so” .
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G.R.Kanwal
24 February 2025
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