A World of Enemies

Join the Flat Earth Society. We have members all around the globe! Anonymous

Someone asked me the other day, “What have you learned from your worst enemy?”

It wasn’t your normal run-of-the-mill question, of course. It was part of a writing exercise, and it caught me a bit off-guard as, to be honest, I don’t know I have ever considered someone my enemy, let alone whittling the list down to a “worst” enemy.

I have had opponents, of course. I have arrested criminals (each innocent until proven guilty in a court of law). I have been shot at and had the occasional wrestling match in the course of my short career as a cop. But those weren’t enemies or villains. They were people with drug, alcohol, or mental health problems (by and large).

I suppose the word conjures up for me an attitude I prefer to avoid – animosity. While there are certainly people who would never be my cup of tea, I’m not sure there are any for whom I hold a desire to harm. There are those who have no doubt held me in contempt and wished ill to befall me, but what others think of me is none of my business. They are entitled to their opinions and perspectives, and if their lives are made richer by pinching their noses as I walk by or come into view, that is their prerogative.

There are people who are toxic to be around, that’s for sure. There are those who simply suck the life out of a soul like one of the Dementors in the Harry Potter universe. They see and experience life as a dark and scary place. They expect the worst of the people around them. If it wasn’t for bad luck, they believe they’d have no luck at all. No matter what happy thing befalls them, they would see only the detritus. They could win a mega-bucks lottery and only bemoan the taxes withheld from the jackpot.

They may be toxic and noxious, and they may also be antagonists and adversaries in life. But are they enemies? No, like a virus I strive to steer clear of them, but I do not hate them.

Having said all that, I could also look inward and ask if I’m not my own worst enemy. After all, in examining my life, I certainly have said and done things that have proven to be detrimental to my own well-being, or the health and well-being of others around me. I could easily admit I am often my own worst enemy, but I’m not sure that’s true. I’m not sure it is healthy to say that, let alone to believe it.

I don’t mean to engage in a big self-hug, but as soon as one begins to think of him or herself as their own worst enemy, the foundation is set for self-hatred or self-loathing, and that’s not healthy or beneficial in any way. As human beings, we make mistakes. We do things out of greed, fear, anger, or frustration, but we’re also capable of doing much good.

We are commanded to love our neighbor because we are actually capable of loving our neighbor, even when they behave in terribly bad ways.

We pray God to forgive us our sins, debts, or trespasses. Jesus bids us to add a bothersome little caveat: “as we forgive those who sin against us.”

“As we” here means “the way we …” or “to the degree that we …” or “in the same way in which we …” He also tells us to love our enemies, doesn’t he?

God always seems to think we can do more than we may want to do, or feel able to do.

I suppose one of the reasons we fail to live up to God’s standards is plain laziness, or sloth. It’s easier not to. It’s easier to blame others for our problems or misfortunes. If that’s true, then maybe Sloth is my worst enemy, because it inspires me to do the least I can get away with.

What I’ve learned in life is how important it is to keep moving. Sloth drags you down. Faith, like action, reaches up and finds the grace of God reaching down and helping us to reach out in love, and that’s a wonderful thing to discover here in this, our valley.