I practice this concept by thinking of every person whose purpose is to help improve the quality of life on our planet as being my partner, on my “team.” I cannot conceive of anyone out there whom I’m in competition with for any external prize. If they sell more books than I do, I applaud their good fortune; in fact, I’ll tell as many people as I can to buy their products. If they make more money, get more publicity, or reach more people, I celebrate by thinking, My teammate has helped me with my mission.
When I play a close tennis match, I silently send love and encouragement to my opponent. When I’m less stressed, less angry, and less violent in my thinking, I’m living in the moment that Lao-tzu calls “the ultimate unity with heaven.” My level of excellence soars, regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard.
This is what Lao-tzu recommends to you from his 2,500-year-old perspective:
Declare that you’re not going to fight.
Don’t fight colds, illnesses, or even serious afflictions. Don’t fight with family members, or against political opinions. Don’t fight addictions, and most important, don’t fight yourself. Instead, make the shift to living by cooperating. If you have cancer or arthritis cells in your body, talk to them from that perspective: “If you insist on living in my body, I wish to live in harmony, peace, and total health with you; otherwise, I invite you to take up residence elsewhere.” This may sound strange, but it puts you back in harmony with the Tao, which isn’t violent, hateful, or angry.
Also, when it comes to your children and other family members, see yourself as their ally, daily practicing the “virtue of non-contending.”
Practice seeing yourself in everyone else.
If someone you love is hurting, you experience their pain. Therefore, whenever you say or do something that’s harmful to someone you love, you’re doing something to harm yourself. Extend this awareness to all of humanity—after all, you share the same origination spirit or Tao with every living being in the universe. When you see your own spirit in a cooperative embrace with all others, you’ll know what Lao-tzu means by “the ultimate unity with heaven.”
Here are some marvelous words from Pablo Casals that express this thought:
When will we [teach our children] what they are?
We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your cunning fingers, the way you move.
You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?
Do the Tao Now
Affirm that you’ll think of your opponent as an extension of yourself in your next competitive encounter. Vow to mentally send that person love, surround him or her in light, and pray that he or she will perform at the highest level. Then note how your own performance improves and carries you to a new level of excellence.
69th Verse
There is a saying among soldiers:
I dare not make the first move
but would rather play the guest;
I dare not advance an inch
but would rather withdraw a foot.
This is called
going forward without advancing,
pushing back without using weapons.
There is no greater misfortune
than feeling “I have an enemy”;
for when “I” and “enemy” exist together,
there is no room left for my treasure.
Thus, when two opponents meet,
the one without an enemy
will surely triumph.
When armies are evenly matched,
the one with compassion wins.
Living
Without Enemies
Imagine a world with a common heritage that bonded all beings on the planet—a world that didn’t know the word enemy, where everyone happily agreed that we’re all one people, originating from the same Source of nonbeing. Picture a world that understood that harming anyone would be analogous to harming oneself. Unfortunately, while there’s never been such a state of affairs among humans during the entire written history of civilization, this is the vision of Lao-tzu in the 69th verse of the Tao Te Ching. And it’s my vision for what’s possible when we work at being Tao-centered people, with Tao-centered leadership.
This grand vision begins right here, right now, with you! Remove the concept of “enemy” from your life, and model this behavior for those around you. Ultimately, the ripple effect will move everyone around the globe toward an “enemy-less” world.
Recently, a deranged man armed with guns and ammunition barricaded himself in an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he proceeded to murder several girls. As the peaceful, Tao-centered, Christian members of this close-knit community grieved over their unspeakably horrific losses, they invited the family of the killer to mourn with them at the mass funeral and prayed for the killer as well.
As the Amish leader said, “We have no enemies; we are all God’s children, and forgiveness is at the very core of our Christian faith. If we can’t forgive those who are lost and would do harm
