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Love your enemies

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Do you believe you can love your enemies?

If so, would it make sense to call the person you love an enemy?

Love your enemies means for example loving (and forgiving) Hitler.

Do you love your enemies?
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
No, not really although I acknowledge they are entitled to be treated with a certain level of compassion and I don't wish death on them, or anything like that

But I don't hate them either

I think the most important thing is this: I neither trust or respect them

Well, I say "them", but in my experience I really mean "him" - it's a long and outrageous story!
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Do you believe you can love your enemies?

If so, would it make sense to call the person you love an enemy?

Love your enemies means for example loving (and forgiving) Hitler.

Do you love your enemies?


No, not possible for me at least. I am very selective on who i consider an enemy, i restrict it to those who have done me or mine harm. Knowing people as i do not give those people a second chance because once they have committed there act no matter how much you love them they are likely to repeat themselves. A lesson i have learned and to date have no cause to revise
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
No, not really although I acknowledge they are entitled to be treated with a certain level of compassion and I don't wish death on them, or anything like that

But I don't hate them either

I think the most important thing is this: I neither trust or respect them

Well, I say "them", but in my experience I really mean "him" - it's a long and outrageous story!

Hm. What is love outside of compassion, trust, and respect?
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
No, not possible for me at least. I am very selective on who i consider an enemy, i restrict it to those who have done me or mine harm. Knowing people as i do not give those people a second chance because once they have committed there act no matter how much you love them they are likely to repeat themselves. A lesson i have learned and to date have no cause to revise

(I've read this)

Do you feel you have to accept their actions in order to love them?

Would the love you give depend on their actions and not your own?
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
(I've read this)

Do you feel you have to accept their actions in order to love them?

Would the love you give depend on their actions and not your own?

Lets take a real life example.
I accept the that IRA took off my aunts arm in a deliberate terror attack. Could i love them? No.

Love, respect etc is earned, it is not to be given freely.
 

epronovost

Well-Known Member
Loving your enemy is a beautiful rethorical trick that basically means ''surrendering to your enemies'', but framing it in such a way the person surrendering might feel like they are actually winning. Don't love your enemy. Seek to understand them if only to be better able to defeat them.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Hm. What is love outside of compassion, trust, and respect?
I neither love, like, hate, or respect my one and only enemy (who I've had no contact with since 2016)

But I believe that like all humans he is worthy of compassion - not that I want to show him any... but someone else can!

So I don't wish death or suffering on him, I just want nothing to do with him

Being consumed with hate for him would be a victory for him, the best thing I can do is forget and move on

Neither love nor hate
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
It has been said that hate is not the opposite of love.

They aren't wrong. Both require passion and care. They draw from the same well of deeply-held values and emotions. We love to hate the things that are against our values. It reinforces our identities and our stories. Without our enemies, our lives would be that much more devoid of meaning. So in that sense, we love them all.

Just a musing thought of the day...
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Loving your enemy is a beautiful rethorical trick that basically means ''surrendering to your enemies'', but framing it in such a way the person surrendering might feel like they are actually winning. Don't love your enemy. Seek to understand them if only to be better able to defeat them.

How does love equate to surrender?

Do you need to love their actions in order to love the person?
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I neither love, like, hate, or respect my one and only enemy (who I've had no contact with since 2016)

But I believe that like all humans he is worthy of compassion - not that I want to show him any... but someone else can!

So I don't wish death or suffering on him, I just want nothing to do with him

Being consumed with hate for him would be a victory for him, the best thing I can do is forget and move on

Neither love nor hate

Would it be healthy to find compassion for him later in life?

If there is neither love nor hate (indifferent) than why would you not talk to him (why would someone not talk if they're feelings are no longer love or hate towards that person?) I assume indifference would rid one?

In other words, there is no reason to forget a person when you're indifferent about your feelings towards him or her.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Of course you need to love their actions to love a person. You can't read minds or look into their interior lives. What you know of people is what they do.

An oddball example. That would mean a person who cannot "do" anything all their life (medical reason, maybe) isn't worthy of love?

Do you love people as human beings?
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
For me, I don't have enemies. I can't find anyone I hate so much that I would not speak to him or her as a human being. If my life were in danger or there is negativity that I can't physically and mentally handle, I would need to draw barriers. If I had a child and someone hurt my child, I'd have to protect him from that person. But to call that person my enemy?

If displaying love because of our religion and morals are based on another person's actions (and with a clause), no one would love anyone. They'd always blame them for their actions and find no peace in humanity until everyone is worthy of their criteria of love.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Would it be healthy to find compassion for him later in life?

If there is neither love nor hate (indifferent) than why would you not talk to him (why would someone not talk if they're feelings are no longer love or hate towards that person?) I assume indifference would rid one?

In other words, there is no reason to forget a person when you're indifferent about your feelings towards him or her.
Well, this guy is a total sponge...

He abused the friendship he had with me for financial gain and did the same to at least one other person too

It is a catalogue of financial abuse and sponging

He basically uses his charm to befriend people and then sponges - classic sociopathic behaviour

He calls you "friend" and "brother" but all he does is take, take, take, whilst promising to pay back (which never happens)

Letting him back into my life would be allowing him to sink his vampire teeth into my neck again, and he would do it again, he will never change because he is weak and has the maturity of a child - he is a man-child, but that's no excuse!
 

Audie

Veteran Member
No, not possible for me at least. I am very selective on who i consider an enemy, i restrict it to those who have done me or mine harm. Knowing people as i do not give those people a second chance because once they have committed there act no matter how much you love them they are likely to repeat themselves. A lesson i have learned and to date have no cause to revise

"Enemy" of any other cognomen or appellation, someone
who has taken pleasure in inflicting grave harm is not someone
to forgive.

I think most of the people who are so quick to "forgive"
and just virtue signalling, and, trying to fool themselves.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
"Enemy" of any other cognomen or appellation, someone
who has taken pleasure in inflicting grave harm is not someone
to forgive.

I think most of the people who are so quick to "forgive"
and just virtue signalling, and, trying to fool themselves.


Absolutely right.

Maybe they simply lack the experience so don't actually know how they would feel
 
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