this may sound corny - that's OK

My live is too short to make enemies, so love and treat everyone as equal . Peace.

Good advice that my mother taught me. Life is filled with many bridges to cross. The bridge you burn today may be the bridge you need to cross tomorrow.

I try really hard. There is one person though, that I never think will be my friend, who, no matter how hard I try, I cannot understand, or forgive and let the past go and who does not care, not matter how many people try to reach out to him. I have tried putting myself in his shoes and that only makes it worse, because he has such power and potential to do good, if he wanted to.

Oh.. btw, he happens to be a world "leader" too.

Great clip, Alan!

btw, he happens to be a world "leader" too.

I struggle with 'love thy own family members' often! And that seems to be a bigger challenge for me sometimes. But there's a thin line between love and dislike I guess. I would do anything in the world for them if push came to shove.

It is easy to love people who love and like you, and even easier to 'love' in the abstract, for instance 'the poor', 'the
despised' etc. Life's biggest challenge is to love those who you find unloveable, who harm you and others. perhaps the biggest challenge of all is to love yourself despite feeling that deep down you are unloveable and worthless, wretched and inadequate, weak and despicable. Achieving this love is the prerequisite to loving an other in the full sense.

Aaah, Alan, 'the family' - the octopus from from whose tentacles few make good their escape. The greatest hurts are inflicted not by friends and strangers, but by family members. Forgiveness however is essential to our own survival, though it's a process and takes a conscious decision.

“Love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person; it is an attitude, an ordination of character which determines the relatedness of the person to the whole world as a whole, not toward one object of love”"
— Erich Fromm

(That is the quote I had in mind earlier)

I wish I could pop this again, Alan.

Aaah, Alan, 'the family' - the octopus from from whose tentacles few make good their escape

Great visual! And very much how it seems sometime!

I enjoy these types of articles. Obviously, I didn't author this, and although I tend to agree with a lot of what the author has stated, I struggle sometimes trying to decide whether or not to clip this type of content. I think it could be construed as preachy or maybe even a little self-righteous, but I am guilty of many if not most of these things. I certainly don't mean for this to be judgmental clipping on my part. But I'm glad to read the good comments from everyone!

Getting the desired results may take months, days or centuries. There would be many processes needed such as forgiveness. How I wish the word "revenge" was wiped out of our vocabulary and minds.
Debs

Thanks - that's using CM in a most powerful way! You helped me today!

POP for you Alanocu and POP for all the great comments.

I like the picture "Free Hugs"

i went to a Burning man event here in Africa, aptly named "Africa Burns"

And one of the camps gift was free hugs.

Being a part of that community was amazing as no one was your enemy, everyone was your friend, and shared everything.

Good lesson! I'm struggling with this myself right now. Maybe one day I can forgive, but not now. Love ya, alan!

There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly.
Antisthenes


The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.
Abraham Lincoln


No one is to be called an enemy, all are your benefactors, and no one does you harm. You have no enemy except yourselves.
St. Francis of Assisi


The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time.
William Butler Yeats

A beautiful clip, Alancou And perfect timing too!