Hey, Did You Know?

Sorry Sun Tzu, but your infamous catchy phrase "keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer" - yeah...well I think it's bogus and overrated.

Not even the classic Godfather film can sway me otherwise.

This quote no longer applies to modern society anymore.

In a bizarre time of constant witchcraft, gang mobs, slandering of one's character, people's back and forth mood changes, racial division and spiritual warfare, it's imperative to keep your closest loved ones real tight.

What do people mean by "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?

To further elaborate.

We strive to keep friends close in order to enrich our lives. We're also inclined to appraise our interpersonal bonds with consideration for the degree of "closeness" we share with one another.

For these reasons, most would instinctively assume that a friend ought to be kept closer than an enemy, and this notion is only strengthened by our natural inclination to move away from unpleasantness towards the pleasant.

This particular idiom is intended to make you think, and it achieves this by creating discord with your expectations and beliefs. At first, the thought of keeping an enemy closer than a friend - or close at all for that matter sounds preposterous, and this compels you to ponder the idea.

Now why would you keep an enemy closer than a friend? Generally speaking, knowledge.

The closer an enemy is to you, the more you will come to know their capabilities, strengths, weaknesses, tendencies etc. You can use this knowledge to your advantage and enhance your skills.

Even deeper, you can learn from the very animosity and opposition which exists between you and your enemy.

This can only apply in the competitive part of the world

Let's be honest if we're strictly talking socially - how many people in the world actually keep their enemies close like you can easily just go out for some whiskey at the pub and watch the Sunday game together without not having uneasy, awkward, heated tension that only a knife can cut.

Maybe possibly come to blows with each other, resulting in two "frenemies" getting seriously hurt or in trouble with the cops or both.

How many times have you heard this phrase from someone and didn't hesitate to roll your eyes back and say to yourself "why on earth would I do that" - "are you suggesting a war right now".

There is nothing wrong with giving people a chance and test the waters a bit with these people but always stay aware of who you let into your circle and house.

Don't be so quick to give people the keys to the city, especially new folks that haven't earned your trust.

See, the world has heard this quote so many times, it just becomes ingrained into their subconscious and they roll with it and we never really observe closely the people we associate ourselves with.

And were suppose to think that everybody deserves our kindness when it's okay for people to take it for granted and exploit our weaknesses.

Look at some point, the nice guy act gotta hit the bricks, ain't nobody got time to be stepped on and to be a chewed up piece of gum that got it's flavor sucked up.

Listen, based off my obscured wisdom and experience with wolves disguised in sheeps clothing, it is no secret that people's true colors will soon reveal itself.

I personally believe the only folks you should ever keep close to you are your "ride or die" type of friends and the ones that you can break bread with (not so necessarily a friend but somebody you can relate to) and share a common goal that you guys go after together and accomplish it.

I don't think it's healthy or smart for enemies to coexist, is it possible? Yes - but I was never so quick to let an enemy of mine just walk in my home and allow him to be around family or personal belongings.

They only way we can coexist as if we can put our differences aside and have common interest in something that is bigger than us that is a threat and combine our minds and ideas to produce a winning and successful formula.

In reference to Dragonball Super in the last arc of season 1, we saw bitter enemies Goku and Frieza work together, which is to this day hard to fathom. They came together as allies to combat 9 other Universes in the Tournament of Power, whichever Universe prevailed...well they got to live while the other universes went bye-bye.

This idiom has a lot of staying power, but thats only because it worked and applied to movies, TV shows & anime. Legendary names within the industry of creating engaging story lines and powerful and memorable characters made it mean something in life.

The problem with that is...that life is not REAL. It's a fictional wonderland tale that is so good at making you believe that your enemies can actually get close to you.

It's something you have always seen in movies but if we are talking about real life, it's pretty rare to see that as a possibility.

Soooo why keep an enemy closer to you than a real friend? All your saying is to here "please stab me in the back while I'm not looking and not fully aware of your intentions".

Why even waste precious time of competing with your enemy when really you are actually in competition with yourself.

Please evaluate and closely pay attention to who is in your life for a season and whose there for a reason. Take inventory of your circle and weed out the ones who give off enemy vibes and the ones who are jealous of your success.

Never let your guard down, I don't care who complemented nicely on your new hair style or who loved your fresh baked apple pie.

Most people are professional ass kissers and they have been certified by other professionals.

And of course an enemy is not going to reveal themselves right from the jump, they normally operate in strategic planning and they'll make their move when the time is right, it's important for you to look out for the signs and be 3 steps ahead.

In this case, I wouldn't even say keep your friends closer than your enemies, cause whose to say your friends weren't your enemy this whole time.

"Keep your friends semi close, keep your enemies far away in a island somewhere and keep yourself closer" - Mark Smith.

Way better.