Love Your Enemies

It’s a somewhat awkward coincidence that my post on The Art of War came out just a couple days before war broke out - once again - in Israel/Palestine. Awkward enough that it would be unfortunate if I didn’t comment on it. I know it’s been almost a month, but I’m just slow like that. It’s very, very sad to see so many people hurt and killed on both sides of this conflict. This strife has been going on intermittently now for generations, and I pray for some kind of resolution to this conflict that lasts.

From my point of view, peace is always preferable, but if there is to be war, there will be war. The important thing is how we conduct war. Targeting civilians, in any way, is not okay. Neither is responding to provocations and attacks in a disproportionate way. Every move, every calculation, should be taking into consideration an eventual deescalation. This is not only more humane. It is a more effective way to win.

More important than how political leaders and militaries conduct wars, is how regular people like you and me respond and participate. It’s perfectly okay if some of us prefer one side to the other. I will freely admit I do the same. I prefer peace, but if there is going to be war, I will normally have chosen one side over the other to root for. It’s best to go gently in this, and not be over-committed, because there will be times when you thought you were rooting for the “right” side, and later on you realize you made a mistake. A lot is at stake when there is war, much more than just human lives. So tread lightly.

Even if we do “choose sides”, the most important thing is to continue to recognize and respect the humanity of everyone involved. I know that people on both sides of this conflict have done terrible, terrible things, and it can be hard to forgive. It can be hard to remember that these people, for all their faults and their terrible crimes, are still human. But it’s terribly important that we do this. If we dehumanize others, we dehumanize ourselves. If we prick, they bleed. They have soul (psyche) just like us, and they have spirit (pneuma), just like us. And even if we think we are better people than them, we are still sinners. We all need the forgiveness and understanding of others.

Here are some signs that we may need to check ourselves, and act more from our hearts, rather than from our emotions or the rationalizations of our minds:

• If we are calling people animals or monsters, we are denying their humanity.

• If we say that such-and-such an act was unforgivable, then we close down the possibility of reconciliation.

• If we use the acts of a few to condemn an entire people, we condemn ourselves to dysphoria.

We don’t need to be Christians to recognize the deep wisdom in the words of Jesus. I’d like to reflect today on Luke 6:27-36. (As usual, I will be using the Hart translation.) This teaching is taken from what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, even though it takes place on the plains in Luke (see Luke 6:17). Please takes these words in for a moment. Sit with them.

But to you who listen I say, Love your enemies, do well by those who hate you, Bless those cursing you, pray for those reviling you. To him who strikes you on the cheek turn the other also, and from him who takes your cloak do not withhold your tunic as well. Give to everyone who asks and do not ask back from the one taking your things. And if you love those who love you, what is your thanks? For even sinners love those who love them. For even if you do good to those who do good to you, what is your thanks? Even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks have you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order that they may receive an equal return. But love your enemies and do good and lend without despairing of it; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Become compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Passive resistance is an incredibly effective technique used by Jesus himself, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi, among others. But love, acceptance, and understanding, do not necessarily mean that we have to lie still and suffer abuses. Self-defense, and defense of the weak, can be perfectly appropriate responses to aggression. On the other hand, refusing to love, refusing to do our best to be understanding towards our fellow human beings, and refusing to engage in dialog, increases tension and diminishes the humanity of everyone involved, including ourselves.

I pray for peace, and I pray for love and understanding between all the brothers and sisters of humanity.

We are all in this together.