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You Are Who You Fight
Who we recognize as our adversaries serves as a measure of who we are.
In all confrontations, let us remember that when we choose our enemies, we decide our stature. There is a claim to nobility in making powerful enemies; just as there is a betrayal of one’s smallness found in opposition to unworthy foes. Ask yourself always, “What do I have to prove?”
Every great enemy is an opportunity for glory. They are demanders of bravery, measurers of skill, and cultivators of growth. Every inconsequential enemy is an opportunity for embarrassment. These obnoxious fleas and ticks in life are inadequate for even a trouncing. The seasoned boxer cannot properly exhibit their unmatched mastery in a street fight with a drunken brawler, any more than a dexterous debater can display their virtuosity when arguing with a fool.
Small enemies pull us lower, as robust enemies raise us up. And all friends worth having are in their own right enemies, engaging in many unspoken contests and competitions, each individual in the relationship functioning as a whetstone for the other. And all true enemies are in their own right friends, for the detestation of an individual is far less of a hatred than indifference and a lack of respect — and all worthy enemies succeed at garnering one’s respect. Our proper enemies are just friends who…
