A soldier returned to his castle at dawn. He was in a mess. His face was bloody; his horse was lame. His 1 met him at the gate, asking, "What has happened to you?"
2 himself up as best he could, he replied, "Oh, Sir, I have been 3 in your service, robbing and burning and killing your enemies to the west."
"You have been what?" cried the 4 king, "But I haven't any enemies to the west!"
"Oh!" said the soldier. And then, after a(n) 5, he continued to say, "Well, I think you do now."
What about you? Do you have enemies to the west? Or in some other directions? None of us will calmly sail through our lives in perfect 6 with everyone we meet. And though most struggles can be settled along the way, and most of our damaged 7 can eventually be healed, some issues may threaten to drive a 8wedge(楔) between people. Sincere morals and political ideas, especially, can divide folks who just hold different positions.
One person said, "I don't have a personal enemy 9. They've all died off. I miss them terribly because they helped define me."
So-called "enemies" can 10 a valuable purpose. If we let them, they can teach us about ourselves. By11 a mirror before us, they can help us 12 what we may have missed. By disagreeing with our ideas, they can 13 our points of view. And, if we allow them, they can 14 help us practice strength and sympathy in the face of criticism.
If enemies cannot become friends, they can become 15. If we listen, they will teach us what our friends cannot.
