I honestly don’t know what to do with my enemies. I am fortunately surrounded by many people I love and who love me. But there are those enemies out there that seem intent on following a path of intolerance and hatred. I can’t ignore them because their actions harm so many of their fellow humans and affect those I love.
It is not enough to judge their actions and declare them to be in the evolutionary backwaters of humanity. They act in a way that is inconsistant and even oppositional to the very traits that have made us successful as a species. They act in a way that ignores that humans have prospered because we evolved to care for and support one another. They hoard resources, contrary to the human tendency to provide for those who are hungry or weak.
They do not understand their inheritance as humans. They appear unaware of what it means to be human and care for one another. It is not enough for me to repeatedly remind myself that they are “dumb shits,” and turn away. I cannot ignore them, even while I attempt to keep them from stirring my anger. I will not be consumed with feelings of rage, even while I routinely feel a smoldering rage inside me as I witness what my enemies are doing.
I cannot simply lock my enemies in the basement of my life. They have surrounded me and those I love. They are having a real effect on the social world we have constructed and the given world we have inherited from the universe. I wish I could ignore them, but I am very aware of the harm being caused by my enemies. I am sad that I hold them at a distane, outside the realm of those I love.
My enemies are a sign of my own shortcoming. I fall short just by my identifying them as my enemies. I want to be aware of them and alert to their presence, but I refuse to be drawn into their circle of malace. I am watchful and wary, and I am sometimes acting in opposition. But I will not dishonor my own heart with the same kind of hatred and rage that consume my enemies.
For now, it is enough to keep my heart from being affected by my enemies. I will protect my heart from my enemies. I rely on those who love me and whom I deeply love.