Your Enemy Can Be Your Teacher
From: Steven Ng pkiam@singnet.com.sg
Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 12:56:38 0800
A knight returned to his castle at twilight. He was a mess. His
armor was dented, his helmet askew, his face was bloody, his horse was limping and he
listed to one side in the saddle. His lord met him at the gate, asking,
"What has befallen you, Sir Knight?" Straightening himself up as best he could,
he replied, "Oh, Sire, I have been laboring in your service, robbing and burning and
pillaging your enemies to the west."
"You have been what?" cried the startled nobleman. "But I haven't any
enemies to the west!" "Oh!" said the knight. And then, after a pause,
"Well, I think you do now." What about you? Enemies to the west? Or the north,
or the south or the east?
Few people will sail through life friends with everyone they meet. And though most
conflict can be resolved and relationships healed, some issues may drive a permanent wedge
between people. Heart-felt moral and political stances, especially, can polarize folks who
just as passionately hold differing positions.
Former U.S. Ambassador Claire Booth Luce once observed: "I don't have a warm personal
enemy left. They've all died off. I miss them terribly because they helped define
me." Even those opposed to you and what you stand for can serve a purpose. They can
teach you about you. They can teach your about yourself. They can help you see what you
may have missed. They can sharpen your point of view. And they can teach you about being
strong in the face of criticism.
If enemies cannot become friends, they can become teachers. And if you listen, they will
teach you what your friends cannot.