"If your enemy is an ant, view him as an elephant." (Or in contemporary parlance, never underestimate your opponent; but rather, overestimate!)
So quoted the old Armenian folks from Marash years back, translating into English for the youngsters . . . Not sure what enemies they were referring to, but you might chance a guess . . .
That which we fear is our enemy. We fight it or flight from it. But, when the Anatolian-Armenians had to live as strangers on their own native land, in fear of the red-Sultan or his Ottoman ilk, the Marashtsis, I bet, had to adopt a third canon of thought, (tertium organum): If the threat looks tiny, regard it big and avoid it.
ReplyDeleteoh, really? 'that which we fear is our enemy'?. We are commanded to fear God. in fact the scriptures say 'the beginning of wisdom is fear of the lord'. the scriptures also advise us not to fear that which can take our lives, but that which can take our souls. So, now, is God our enemy?
DeleteNotice, I did not say, "that which we fear is THE enemy", sir. Let's go back to the heading -- When an ant is labeled as an enemy, and then elevated to the ranks of an elephant, suggests to me that we become "our own enemies". Our cages gets rattled every so often, but so what. Everybody handles it differently, by way of fight, fright, flight, or other means.
Deletei was addressing your wording. let us address your above statement. 'everybody handles it differently'. but, why do they? they handle it differently because they are not walking in the spirit, as did David, when he faced Goliath. if you recall, the way the Hebrew armies responded to the challenge of Goliath was to hide behind rocks, and the way King Saul handled the challenge was to offer his armor to this boy of rubicand visage. the difference is and will always be whether the challenge is met in the spirit and confidence of the living God with whom we have a personal living relationship. David attests to that relationship and the deliverance wrought from that relationship. it was in that confidence that he had no fear. 'though i walk through the valley of death i shall fear no evil because thou art with me...' it was the absence of this confidence, this personal ongoing relationship with God, that cowered the Hebrews UNIFORMLY.
DeleteWe rarely fear our friends. . . and they were our friends . . .
ReplyDeleteThat's right! but the Sultan-red Abdul Hamid and his likes could never be my friend.
DeleteI can think of at least one anty...
DeleteReally, all I think all the saying is saying :) is never to underestimate an obstacle!
ReplyDeletei do not think it is saying that at all.
Deletedo you remember the 'anty' we had in our lives?!
Do I ever!
DeleteSpamming is evidence of the evil that exists in some people. None of us are immune when others look to harm us.
ReplyDeleteMy thought for the day... now I'll go and have my morning tea!