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Love your enemies

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Concerning two individuals-
I might be able to have compassion under the most
extraordinary conditions.
Trust or respect? Not a chance.

Compassion? Feeling a little understanding as they suffer what they have inflicted.
 

Fool

ALL in all
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?

loving and forgiving isn't a license to allow someone to continue doing wrong to others.


unconditional love requires everyone to be treated equally within the Law of Reciprocity, or the Golden Rule.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
loving and forgiving isn't a license to allow someone to continue doing wrong to others.


unconditional love requires everyone to be treated equally within the Law of Reciprocity, or the Golden Rule.

Is that something you feel you or anyone is capable of achieving?
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Is that something you feel you or anyone is capable of achieving?
anyone. you can still have compassion for people because of their ignorance. Punishing someone isn't going to help them. Limiting their ability to interact with others removes their antisocial behavior because socializing is restricted. Socializing becomes a privilege and not a guarantee.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member

Audie

Veteran Member
anyone. you can still have compassion for people because of their ignorance. Punishing someone isn't going to help them. Limiting their ability to interact with others removes their antisocial behavior because socializing is restricted. Socializing becomes a privilege and not a guarantee.

Ah, you are changing the subject.

unconditional love requires everyone to be treated equally within the Law of Reciprocity, or the Golden Rule.


I asked if you think you or anyone can actually do this.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Do you believe you can love your enemies?

The Dharmic religions tend to let karma do the dirty work. I think if you love your enemies, by default you've forgiven them. It's up to them to reciprocate or not. There's a story of the Buddha and a man who was being highly disrespectful. The Buddha was teaching when a man came up to him and began berating him. The disciples were horrified and were about to chastise the man when the Buddha intervened and stopped them. The man stormed off. The next day he once again came to the Buddha but this time he threw himself down at the Buddha’s feet begging for forgiveness. The Buddha said “No, I cannot forgive you". Now the man was sad. The Buddha said "You didn’t do anything to forgive you for”. The man said “But I was disrespectful to you”. The Buddha said that man was not there. The man in front of him did nothing wrong.

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

I don't think it's within our abilities or authority to "forgive" such a person for their actions.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Ah, you are changing the subject.

unconditional love requires everyone to be treated equally within the Law of Reciprocity, or the Golden Rule.


I asked if you think you or anyone can actually do this.
and i told you yes.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is possible to do the right thing for everyone and be within the law.

people make mistakes. some will never understand that their negative behavior can lead to self-destruction. restrict the behavior, like you would for a child that doesn't understand.


its all about psychological maturity and not physiological maturity.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
and i told you yes.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is possible to do the right thing for everyone and be within the law.

people make mistakes. some will never understand that their negative behavior can lead to self-destruction. restrict the behavior, like you would for a child that doesn't understand.


its all about psychological maturity and not physiological maturity.


I am not convinced we are on the same topic.

I asked about what you called "unconditional love"
and you talk about mistakes and maturity.

Your response may well be about maturity, but,
it does not address my question.

Unless you a re simply defining unconditional love as
something legalistic. Which aint love, its just part of the
american constitution.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Would you consider not pushing them into
a volcano if you got the chance?
Volcanoes & me enemies.....oh, if only the twain should meet.
Alas, we have a paucity of the former, & a plethora of the latter in Michiganistan.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
That's too easy. Anybody could do that.
To be truly enlightened, one must have loathed scurrilous enemies to forgive.
I volunteer for the job.
Already have forgiven anyone who harmed me in the past and present moment. And i don't see people as my enemy ( or other beings for that matter)
 
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