Here’s How You Beat The 4 Natural Enemies of Every Human
When “Friends” Turn into Enemies…
In the book, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, author Carlos Castaneda wants to learn magic from an Indian who is a self-described sorcerer from Sonora, Mexico.
Don Juan, the mysterious teacher, said there are four enemies the author must defeat to become a true person “of knowledge.”
Castaneda tries to get don Juan to reveal who these enemies are, as he desperately wants to learn about the insights of his magical life.
After much coaxing, don Juan finally opens up. He declares the first enemy we face is fear. This enemy will greet us whenever we are moving to a higher realm in our life.
It’s okay to feel the fear, don Juan says, but we must keep moving forward despite the emotion. For if we let the fear win and turn away from our calling, then we’re already defeated and we’ll go on to live a mediocre life where fear governs our actions.
But, if we keep pushing through fear — slowly but surely — there will be a sudden change when the fear is completely defeated. Once this happens, we never return to following fear, because we understand how it blocks our progress.
So what happens if we defeat fear? We get clarity. We no longer see through the lens of fear. We see the world as it is. This would appear to be a great friend, and it is — when handled properly.
But if clarity becomes a new dominant trait, and we impose our new clear vision on others, then it has become our second enemy.
Clarity can make one too sure of oneself, overconfident, and impatient with others. Therefore, a man who defeats fear and gains clarity can get stuck unless he adds some space and patience to his thoughts and actions.
To gaze at the world with clarity, understanding its workings, but without trying to force one’s way makes clarity a friend rather than an enemy.
When this happens, when we take the time to see clearly but without taking compulsive actions. This is when we gain another friend: power.
To live without fear, seeing the world clearly yet patiently, bestows power. We realize we can manifest our desires at will, and that nothing can stop us except ourselves.
Power would appear to be a great friend, unless the power goes to our head. Then — you guessed it — it becomes our third enemy.
The only way to keep power as a friend is to not use it indiscriminately.
Ironically, sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is to withhold our power. Perhaps we can change some situation, but we realize doing so might impede others learning or experience. Therefore, we decided sit it out and just observe, accepting the natural outcome. This is true power.
Thus, if we are able to sit in the seat of power but without acting like a rotten king, we can maintain power as a friend.
And in doing so, we gain a fourth friend: old age.
But just like the others, this friend can quickly turn into an enemy if we approach it the wrong way. If we give in to being tired, to the comfort of complacency and inaction, then old age has become our fourth enemy.
But don Juan explains that if we keep growing, learning and evolving — even into old age — then we’ve gained the final friend who will take us gently and sweetly into the afterlife.
In the end, moderation, self-control, persistence and patience are how to turn our natural born enemies into dear friends.
PS: Get all my posts in your inbox here. If you’re not a Medium member yet, start today for unlimited reading access — and new writing powers! ✍️