Who are our enemies?

In the last few days I have read and listened to comments from politicians at the highest levels saying that Snowden has fed dangerous information to our enemies. They have listed China, Russia, Ecuador, Cuba, as our enemies who have been aided and abetted by the information that has come out. Firstly, who possibly could be shocked to find out what the NSA is doing? It is simply a no brainer. Will we be shocked to learn that other countries are doing the same? I hope not. What do we think?

But it is the easy assumption and careless verbiage about these countries being our enemies that shocks the shit out of me. Are we trying to make trouble? It would seem so. It would also seem that any nation or group that chooses to say anything that gives us pause is our enemy, I guess that Bush 11 said it all when he said "If you are not with us, you are against us." But do we have to fall in line with that simplistic idiocy? What are diplomats for?  Hillary was a particularly grim example of a diplomat when she would wag her finger, like a mean school teacher, at the Chinese government and lecture them about human rights abuses while we kept Guantanamo open and were making kill lists.

Now we are doing it again. I was shocked when Bush told us over and over that the people of Iraq were our enemies. I didn't even know more than a couple of people from there and they were really nice. I don't even like the thought that I have enemies, let alone billions of them. It disturbs me. I think common ground can be found with almost anyone. We all all suffering humans with human aspirations and dreams.

I know there are people who don't like me. But enemies? I hope not. The only enemy that can make me really unhappy resides inside me. My thoughts can cause me great misery. My thoughts can cause me great joy. Keeping the balance, keeping my eyes on the light takes a lot of grace and practice. Christ said to love your enemies. It is the most simple teaching. The second you start to love, your enemy vanishes. You can't love and hate or love and fear in the same moment. Not possible. I have found that in certain desperate moments, when I can't love a person, just loving a tree or a flower or a dog, brings about the shift that is needed. You can't love and hate at the same time. You can't love and fear at the same time. You can't dominate the entire planet and feed your own people at the same time. Oops, that just kind of slipped in.