Loving our enemies ?

I’m thinking of this in the existential and subjective sense, not in terms of some external or objective absolute of having either 100 percent love or 100 percent hatred or 70 percent love and 30 percent hatred, and so on. In other words, I’m claiming we should strive to fill our psyches with love (though it’s not likely to be any type of love for our enemies) and to strive to keep hatred out of our psyches

I suspect that in some cases the best I could do would be to minimize or better manage my hatred. King was a Christian and spoke about loving his enemies. I’m working on bending my mind around that ideal.

Also, I’m not saying loving one’s enemies is feasible or even possible, not to mention a worthwhile goal. But I’m saying refraining from hating them is a matter of enlightened self-interest ? Is there a difference between altruism and enlightened self-interest ?

For example, focusing on our love for friends, family, community members and sentient beings in general, (though likely not loving our enemies) is the goal while we also strive to avoid hating anyone. I claim one should do one’s best to not take pleasure in someone else’s suffering.

Writing about love may work in terms of taking a stand for tolerance of our differences, and it may also work in terms of reporting on what people are doing based on our love in the context of families, communities, and societies. That includes social justice and eco activism. Yet, with this theme, I can engage with folk within and beyond progressive circles.

It can also involve exploring the question of whether we are somehow more capable of defending ourselves against our enemies if we hate them. This might involve my response to those who might claim that if we don’t hate certain enemies we’re aiding them. My point would be that hate is self-defeating and that we can harm and kill when there is no viable alternative, doing so without hatred. It’s a message I’m willing to stand behind, though I plan to do so honestly and with an open mind.

I am not claiming I and others can love while we kill and harm an enemy or harm or kill in some other situation of personal, community, or societal self-defense. But am claiming we don’t somehow need to hate in order to more effectively defend ourselves.