A science-fiction film presents a stellar war in a future time.

The opening screen of the film brings a fascinating thought:

At the moment when I truly know my enemy, well enough to defeat him, at this exact moment, I begin to love him.

Now, how do you think this could be?

How would a feeling of hatred turn into love?

Would that be only a fool digression of the author of this idea?

Not. It makes a lot of sense and needs to be analyzed by us, rationally and also by our feelings.

First, let us interpret it focusing on the external enemies, cruel adversaries who, at some times, appear in our lives.

As the time we are immersed in getting to know them in depth, to identify their weaknesses, who knows, we are discovering also their reasons, their human side, their fragile side.

We discover that no one is completely grotesque, that nobody is completely bad. We discover that there, on the other side, behind the frown, apparently secure and relentless, there is a soul in despair.

Yes, evil is a disease, it is the shadow that has not yet made light and, as we get to know the other better we get to understand their side, their reasons, not to accept the evil; it does not, not at all, but to understand it.

At this moment in which we know deeply the opponent, to the point to be able to defeat him, we can begin to love him, because we see the world through his eyes, we are able to feel what he feels and, in an exercise of intense empathy, know how it is to be there, on the other side.

At this time, the enemy becomes the evil, itself, and not the other anymore.

*   *   *

But, we can still glimpse this idea in a different way, even brighter, bringing to analysis our intimate enemies - the shadows that prevent us to self love.

We are fighting against ourselves and, when we leave it defeated, the low self-esteem, depression, dissatisfaction, take over our lives to the point of cancelling all our strength.

However, if we understand the idea of getting to know the enemy, deeply, to the point of loving him, we can put it into practice also in intimate life.

We start to self love, because we know ourselves, we know of our efforts, our reasons, our struggle, how better we are today than we were yesterday.

We do not see ourselves as our own enemy. We self-welcome ourselves with affection, patience and tolerance.

We do not stop caring about ourselves, because neglect is self hate. However, we do not load ourselves with unnecessary pressure, excessive demands, to the point of never give account of our expectations.

When we know our shadow side, deeply, through self-knowledge we have instruments to self love ourselves and not to defeat ourselves.

We defeat the discouragement, the inertia, we defeat the lack of confidence.

We beat idleness, sadness, we beat pessimism.

*   *   *

Let us think, finally:

Who are our real enemies?

Will it be that we are waging a genuine battle when we fight against each other?

Won't it be, in fact, that we are only projecting, to the outside, what frightens us so much, on the inside?

Let us think about this...

Spiritist Moment Team, with citation of the
movie Ender's Game, directed by Gavin Hood, based  on
literary work of Orson Scott Card.
August 21.2014.