Quote (For You, Ed)

Before fleshing out these points, let’s briefly consider “the enemy.” Those who
act out terrorist agendas, whether Islamic or Christian, are not the enemy. Those who attack their attackers are not the enemy. Those who won’t fight back are not the enemy. That is, other people are not the enemy. Furthermore, that in
us which is uncaring, violent, and fanatical is not the enemy, regardless of our
adversarial stance toward it and our efforts to get rid of it, whether through
psychotherapy, medication, or thinking nice thoughts.

So who is the enemy? Better to ask, what is the enemy? A crucial part of the
answer is: Ignorance of our true nature. Such ignorance, which permits our
egoity to assume the throne of self, is a kind of sleep, devoid of clarity and
balance. Without wakefulness, we are prone to a psychological (and spiritual)
myopia that allows us to dehumanize our offending others — and also the
unwanted or darker elements of our own psyche — to such an extent that
we can rationalize doing them great harm.

-- Robert Augustus Masters