Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
Loving your enemies is not an easy task. Before you can begin to love
them, you must first understand them.
I believe many of us now hate Osama bin Laden, even if just a little.
Osama bin Laden hates Americans, so he kills Americans. Can we assume he doesn’t
understand Americans?
Maybe we could find out what Osama bin Laden thinks we are or what we
represent in his eyes. Maybe we could prove he is wrong and tell him the truth about
Americans. We could learn that many of our foes have both good and bad parts in them. And
maybe we could learn to look past the bad parts to see the good. In the end, maybe
we’ll gain a friend, and one can never have too many friends.
We should at least learn to respect our enemies. After all, it is
extremely difficult to love someone you don’t respect. It’s nearly impossible to
like, let alone love, someone when you can’t see their good side.
The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do to
you," is very important. The hardest part of this rule is that you must think before
you feel. You wouldn’t want to be hit in the face, would you? No, I didn’t think
so. So, don’t just go around hitting people if they insult you. Letting your anger
get control of you is just as bad as welcoming the Devil. Pause. Think. Why did this
person behave that way and what were they feeling? Then, try to make them understand you
while letting them know that you understand them. It’s not easy, but if you make it a
habit, your life will be better.
Why can’t we get along anyway? As humans, we are all brothers and
sisters. Aren’t we all children of life and creations of God? We all share one
planet, so why not live on it in harmony?
The truth is we can’t change anyone but our own selves, so if we
make sure to do our best to set a good example, others will follow. Maybe in time, the
whole world could change for the better. In the meantime, we can take little baby steps
forward. How can people follow us if we don’t move?
Dear God, help us to follow the Golden Rule and love our
neighbors. It is hard for us because we were born human and we sin easily. Forgive us our
sins and let us live together in harmony with others. Amen.
Anna Waswick |
