Allies and Adversaries

March 23rd, 2008

Good vs. evil. Over the course of human history this dichotomy has been a fundamental part of our existence. Typically we cast those who support our interest as “allies” and those who act in opposition as “adversaries.” Today our world is becoming increasingly polarized into opposing camps of various sorts, based on this idea. Much of this is caused by scapegoating and placing blame for one’s struggles upon an external source. Or worse, groups and people are manipulated into a manufactured conflict for the benefit and profit of a third party. I used to engage in a pretty combative “me vs. everything” mentality myself, until I began to consider a deliberate shift in the way I was framing various difficult situations in my life.

It occurred to me that in a sense, allies and adversaries are both teachers. Allies simply teach via support; adversaries through their opposition.

This is not meant to downplay the fact that there are people and forces out there that genuinely seek to oppress and limit the freedom of others, and who directly oppose our best interest (though for that matter, I’ve had teachers who the same could arguably be said about). What it IS meant to do, is completely change the rules of the game, level the playing field and take much of the force out of the opposition. More importantly it resolves our internal conflict, often causing external circumstances to rearrange themselves to reflect that.

Consider the associations that come up when we hear the word “enemy.” Fear. Struggle. Someone actively working against our best interest, who may attack us at any time. Someone whose “victory” over us might bring about our downfall. Remember that when we put ourselves in a defensive position, our position requires something to defend against. A defensive mentality is like a chinese finger trap: the more we struggle, the more resistance we get in return.

Now consider the associations with “teachers.” When one works with a teacher, both parties are working on the same side. The teacher may create opposition in the form of challenging exercises, but in a controlled way that is intended for the student’s benefit. In an ideal student-teacher relationship, the responsibility for how the lesson is learned rests just as much upon the student as the teacher; maybe moreso. Another good thing about teachers is that bad ones can be fired.

For me this concept started out as a thought experiment with nonduality and taking responsibility for my own experience, but when I began testing it in real life situations I found I could use it to great effect to neutralize the opposing forces in my life. Conflicts dried up; people I formerly had an antagonistic relationship with either ceased to be a problem or drifted out of my life entirely. Perhaps the most drastic example happened when I used this idea to immediately halt a direct psychic attack by what I suspected at the time to be a persistent negative entity. I simply smiled and said something to the effect of “thanks for showing your hand; I’ve really learned something from this experience.” Literally within seconds I felt the entity leave and all attack symptoms cease. I’m not sure if it couldn’t stand the idea of me benefitting from whatever it was trying to accomplish, or I just confused the crap out of it, but well… whatever works, right?

At this point anyone who’s read my other posts recounting my encounters with some very negative stuff, might be wondering how I can simultaneously regard such people and entities as “teachers.” I would have to point out that the worst of it happened at a time when I was too young and unaware to take responsibility for my experience. A combination of learning how to neutralize the effects of things I couldn’t prevent, and taking responsibility for my thoughts, actions and experience NOW, has dramatically cut down on the amount of conflict in my life and put me in a more empowered position to deal with any that remains.

At this time, most of the world is playing a game that is essentially unwinnable, because we’ve been convinced that it’s the only way to go about things. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if people began rejecting all the usual “rules of engagement” we’ve been indoctrinated with, and creating their own on a larger scale. At the very least, it has to be a lot more fun than the alternative, I figure. Now I want to hear from YOU: how are you doing this in your own way, in your own life?

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