Friend or foe?

To be a friend, or to be an enemy, is it always easy to distinguish between the two? How obvious it seems to tell one apart from the other. After all, is not clear to see those who are our friends, as opposed to the other end of the spectrum, who are our enemies? Cannot hot be distinguished from cold, and light from darkness?

True friendship, above all, involves desiring the others utmost good. It does not entail acting in a way that is destructive to the others good. Those who act in such a way are either a) willfully malicious, for they know full well they are no true friend, but nevertheless, make the other think they are, all the while doing the opposite of what a true friend does. Or b) enslaved by ignorance, thinking they are a good friend, with the other thinking the same, whilst, in point of fact, their influence is destructive to the others' good.

If people become blind as to what their true good consists in, they will readily mistake enemies for friends, and friends for enemies.

They will consider as friends who are in fact taking advantage of them. Or else, they will consider as friends only those people who are 'yes men (or women!)'. That is, those who help prop up the facade of their fantasy world. Hence, hollow reassurance that they know what their true good consists it, when it fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Meanwhile, true friends, those truly concerned for what their true good is (and trying to point it out, as a result of such concern) will seem to be enemies. Those who say ''Wake up! Take your head out of the sand. Please, start to see things clearly, I'm here to help you! Please open your eyes and see me for who I am, one who cares more for your good than even for your perception of me!".

When a friend is mistaken for an enemy, the true test begins. Will he remain a friend, or give in and give hollow reassurance to what the other wants to hear (what is in fact destructive to their true good), for the sake of being perceived by them as a friend? Or will he stay the course of actually being a friend, despite false perceptions to the contrary? Of course, such true friends should not be discouraged even when their attempt at being a friend seems futile, due to the other being stubbornly non-receptive to what their true good consists in. The true friend should take heart that at least he has not become an enemy (in actively promoting the other's demise). He should take heart because he has done his part, and be at peace. For even in apparently hopeless situations, the other may well wake up to reality someday and recognise friend for friend, and foe for foe. To put it in terms of Lord of the Rings, the Riders of Rohan stood to true loyalty, and were expelled by their King for it; but miraculously he came to his senses eventually. Moreover, it was those unwavering friends who were then to play an indispensable part in helping secure his good and the good of his kingdom.

It is the battle between the counterfeit and the real. Ultimately, it comes down to the question of truth: friendship is friendship only if it is true. If it is not, then call it for what it is; hint: it is not friendship.