You Have No Enemies, You Say?

From No Enemies, a short poem by the Scottish poet Charles Mackay:

You have no enemies, you say?
Alas, my friend, the boast is poor.
He who has mingled in the fray
of duty that the brave endure,
must have made foes.
If you have none,
small is the work that you have done.

You’ve hit no traitor on the hip.
You’ve dashed no cup from perjured lip.
You’ve never turned the wrong to right.
You’ve been a coward in the fight.

I think most of us grew up believing that having no enemies is something to be proud of, that it means you’re a nice person who gets along with everyone.

Mackay on the other hand, sees it the other way around.

If you’ve ever had to stand your ground on something, be it calling someone out or pushing back on a decision you knew was wrong, chances are someone didn’t take it too kindly and still holds it against you to this day. And if nobody ever has, then maybe you’ve just been playing it safe all along, which is exactly what he’s calling out.

Of course, I don’t take this as a licence to go around picking fights with people for the sake of it. If anything, it’s more of a reminder to myself that being liked by everyone and doing the right thing don’t always go hand in hand, and when it comes down to choosing one over the other, I’d like to think I’d pick the latter, even if it costs me a few friends along the way.