How do you deal with the phrase, "love your enemy" ?

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   Toby Simonposted 13 years ago

   How do you deal with the phrase, "love your enemy" ?
   
   Its the famous phrase that Jesus said.

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2. 60

   Neil Sperlingposted 13 years ago

   make them a friend if possible -- or move on if I can't make them a friend --  I have to walk in my own shoes first!!

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   MOEFLATSposted 13 years ago

   That's easy:  my enemies feed on my resentment and hate.  It is maladaptive to engage in such a thing as hate as it is now very draining to the human spirit.  Besides, it isn't healthy for you.  Forgive, forget and THRIVE.

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   Jackie Lynnleyposted 13 years ago

   I think love here means try to have understanding for why he or she is the way they are, because we are told Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword. To separate mother and daughters, fathers and sons. Our love is to be a Heavenly love and we cannot live or mingle with evil and do God's bidding, even if that evil is a blood brother but if we hate we are no better than them. He wants us to understand that child may hate us because his parents taught him to and he knows no different, a person may be short tempered not because of you but because of a hurt someone has brought on them. That does not make it right for them but perhaps reflecting the love of being Jesus' own they may want what we have.

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   zzronposted 13 years ago

   To love them in your heart as Jesus did to all and to forgive them for their trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

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   kallini2010posted 13 years ago

   I think dealing with a phrase ... phrase you can ignore as long as you like.  As far as loving your enemies ... there is no right strategy ...  Define an enemy, what kind of enemy, you can be a great strategist and win and crush your enemy totally.  Or not and boil with anger for the rest of your life.
   
   There are too many things to list.  I love the book "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene.  He also wrote "33 Strategies of War", which I have not read yet.  If you are curious how to deal with enemies ... read it.
   
   Enemies are not created equal.  Some enemies are simply to be ignored - don't make them enemies - they are not worth it.
   
   But one example of dealing with enemies is quite striking.  At least for me
   
   "The Dalai Lama shows no anger toward the Chinese, even though the policy of the Chinese government for years has been to practice genocide towards Tibetans, cultritude toward their institutions, beliefs, and everything they hold dear, and geocide toward the very land they live on.  When asked about his apparent lack of anger toward the Chinese by an incredulous reporter at the time he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama replied something to the effect that:
   
   "They have taken everything from us; should I let them take my mind as well?"
   
   from "Whenever you go, there you are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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   NorthEast Timberposted 13 years ago

   Yup, that should really piss them off.

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   jacobsterlingposted 13 years ago

   i guess swallowing your anger, hatred, and pride would help us to love our enemy...and providing them forgiveness and mercy would also help...thats how i deal with my enemies..

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9. 59

   Beege215eposted 13 years ago

   Another old saying, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" might be appropriate here. I may never love my enemy, but I would hope that I determine an enemy as carefully as I would determine a friend. I would not want to call someone an enemy for the wrong reasons.  And were I to determine someone as an enemy, I would hope that an honest conversation would at least open a common door that we could use to build an honorable respect for our differences.  Knowledge and understanding do not always equate with just friends; knowing and understanding your enemy is equally important.  If you know the problem, if you understand the motivation, you can be better prepared without anger, animosity, hate or fear.  Don't turn your back, you may not see the knife, but you might also miss the smile.

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    Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

    I'd say I ignore that silly piece of advice.  There are people who have "wronged" me and/or my children or other family members, but because I SOME of them didn't intend to cause harm, I can forgive them.  I wouldn't consider such people my enemies - just people to be careful about.
    
    When/if someone hurts me or my family intentionally, or even just knowingly, then I'd consider them my enemy (and I'd certainly consider myself theirs).  If I have my way, they'll rot in hell (or some Earthly version of it anyway).   I wouldn't compromise my own integrity and character by "stooping to their level", and I wouldn't see them as worth going to prison over (so any revenge I sought would have to be through legal channels).  I'm sorry....  There's really nothing admirable in "loving" someone who is out to harm you.

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    SpiritPhilosopherposted 13 years ago

    You are reading this famous phrase NOT from a Moral Philosophy book,
    but from a Spiritual Philosophy book.
    
    Therefore, the inner meaning of this phrase is NOT related to  Ethics, or "moral philosophy", but related to Spiritual Philosophy.
    
    According to the Spiritual Philosophy,
    
    "love your enemy" means "Love your Spirit"('God is Spirit'), because, you are a Physical Being!

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    nightwork4posted 13 years ago

    i don't deal with it. i don't like my enemies so why would i love them? i would even go as far as to say i hate my enemies but i don't have many so it's all good.

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    edhanposted 13 years ago

    It is always easier to hate than love. But when you give love, you will be filled with satisfaction and happier in life. Do you know that it is always very painful to hate a person? I always believe in forgiveness when someone had done you wrong. Giving love in return instead of hatred will make your life brighter and happier.
    
    So, spread your love to those who had hurt you and you will see yourself a happier person.

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    JDeAngelisposted 13 years ago

    I don't believe in this phrase at all and think that it would be a dangerous thing to teach it to others. Perhaps we need to transform our enemies into our friends or just remove them from our lives altogether.
    
    I think that our time should be spent loving our friends, family and those who deserve it, not wasted on our enemies.

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15. 59

    nancymeposted 13 years ago

    I try all i can do follow it 100% but i am just human and can't help hating some of 'em foes who left a profound pain.

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    ii3rittlesposted 13 years ago

    I take it as, to love people who wronged you for they know not what they did. A lot of people don't realize what they are doing. Even murders are convinced it's "okay" to kill others. So in the sense that its saying love your enemies, is in the sense of saying love them who have wronged you for they know not what right is.

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    www.lookseenowposted 13 years ago

    The phrase to:
    
    To love my enemy means to love my neighbor.  If I do that,  then I am living up to common laws of the land.  Laws such as not to commit adultery, not to murder, not to steal, and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this word, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”
    
    The reason for this brotherly love is obvious: 
    
    Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore love is the law’s fulfillment. (Romans 13:8-10)

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    CARIBQUEENposted 13 years ago

    I would rephrase that as having good thoughts about people. I know that it is difficult to even fathom loving someone who has wronged you - but if you go around keeping bitter thoughts - it does you more harm than good.  I prefer to let go and keep far away from them

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    simonpeter35posted 13 years ago

    I don't love my enemy to be honest. But sometimes I do pray for them. In my experienced, once I pray for them, they turned around and love me, through natural responses, I would love them back, or at least I don't hate them any more.
    
    Another word, if you cannot love your enemy at least you can pray for them and then God will do the rest.
    
    God bless you

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    Guantaposted 13 years ago

    Very carefully.  I  remember when my frame of mind and my behavior were very unattractive and how I too might have been someone's enemy without my knowing it.

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    jasper420posted 13 years ago

    i use it alot actully i think we can learn alot from our enemys if we have them i try not to have them but what the hell you have to have at least one to have lived at all

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    monazposted 13 years ago

    I can forgive or ignore my enemies, but I do not love people who have in one way or other have done some harm to me.

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    seriousnutsposted 13 years ago

    It depends on what that enemy has done. Thankfully, no one has ever wronged me that much to the extent that I want to harm him/her. What I usually do is just I avoid that person as much as possible. I don't want to have anything to do with my enemies. I just want them far and away from my life.

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    rob_allenposted 13 years ago

    kill 'em....with SO MUCH LOVE and they'll respond with acts that are laden with guilt!

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    whoisbidposted 13 years ago

    Jesus explains the nature of God after he said those words on the sermon on the mount. People can read what is says if they need the evidence  -  God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
    
    This means that if you believe those words, then you will know that blessing is NOT a sign of righteousness. It means that God gives great things to unrighteous undeserving people... and to good people too.
    
    If you read the book of the prophet Job you will see an argument going on and Job's friends telling Job that bad things do not happen to righteous people.. and this is something that many people like to teach claiming it is from the bible.

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