If you could choose your enemy…

If you could choose your enemy, would you rather have:

1. A consistent, determined enemy who doesn’t quit. This enemy would be more of a persistent presence or nagging force in your life getting at you over time.

2. An enemy that causes one big event where everything falls apart. This enemy would be more in the background or not present, except for the catastrophe type event.

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Let’s say, hypothetically, that you could choose your enemy from those two options. When comparing and contrasting, we might find something unexpected within our choice. It seems like our choice of enemy exposes quite a bit about our own nature.

When pondering the question, I realized some hidden possibilities tied to the answers. Stay with me on it, it makes a lot of sense.

Now let’s break down our enemy and find ourselves.

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Option #1 - The consistent enemy

This enemy is routine and predictable. It’s sort of like “the devil you know,” being a known consistent force rather than a blindsiding drastic hit. Change is gradual when dealing with this enemy. Overall, it’s the lowest risk and most easily managed of the two enemies, so it’s probably the most popular choice.

Going deeper, why might we choose this enemy? Some of us might feel like it’s simply the practical answer, but there‘s a bit more to it than that.

General summary of likely motivations:

- Protection & preservation of what’s been built.

- Need for structure & manageable stability.

We can see the traits of endurance and consistency reflected in this choice. With this enemy, we set ourselves up for a daily grind of counter-strategy. Growth is approached through incremental and consistent improvement. Through this lens, challenges are an opportunity to grow strength through discipline and fortify what matters to us. This reliable nature comes into play with what was avoided, too. There’s a higher general likelihood to be resistant to change and the unknown, especially when change is rapid and/or drastic.

This enemy also reveals a strong value for stability and structure. In this choice, when countering our enemy we’re able to sustain our foundations. It’s sort of like maintenance, choosing to strengthen rather than replace or rewire the structures we live by. This sense of responsibility to uphold and preserve familiar systems might correlate with a more conservative or traditional outlook. It can also relate to a more practical view, preferring known standards over newly imagined possibilities.

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Option #2 - The catastrophic enemy

This enemy stays in the background for the most part. It’s not a constant presence lurking, but the harbinger of a single destructive event. It doesn’t give us time to prepare for the type of life-changing and blindsiding chaos it brings. In this sense, it’s pretty high-risk and requires us to adapt on our feet during crisis.

Most would likely think of this enemy as the worst option, so why would we choose it? Being someone that would choose this enemy, there are several layers to it that can teach us more about ourselves.

General summary of likely motivations:

- Need for transformation & the fullness of experience.

- Focus on possibility & reinvention.

This choice highlights an inner resilience during crisis and a willingness to surrender the constructs in our lives. With this enemy we’re also allowed the full spectrum of experiences - the joys of the times apart from destruction and the pains that destruction brings. This could be seen as a willingness to experience loss, preferring to experience the comforts of life and lose them, rather than to have never had them. It also shows a belief in our ability to rebuild and find joy once again in the wake of catastrophe. When looking at what we avoided, we possibly wouldn’t want to deal with the consistent enemy due to the constant weight it’d have on our lived experience.

This enemy also shows traits of flexibility, openness, and innovation. Difficulties are seen more as something to transform through, rather than endure. This shows an inner belief in our ability to transform in the face of loss. We’d rather rip the bandaid off and know when something isn’t working rather than continue holding onto the comfort it brings us. When everything we’ve built has crumbled, we allow ourselves to let go of the things that aren’t serving us. In the destruction, we see a clean slate of possibility with clarity. This progressive outlook shows that we value change and likely have a divergent thinking style that favors creativity and reinvention.

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Comparing the two

When we compare the two enemies, we can see contrasts between stability and change, preservation and transformation.

The Consistent Enemy

This is a slow, steady enemy. In a symbolic sense, it’s much like Saturn. We see a desire for endurance, consistency, and stability in this choice. The challenge of this enemy is to fortify what matters and grow through discipline with small daily changes.

The Catastrophic Enemy

This is a sudden, blindsiding enemy. Symbolically, it’s a lot like Pluto. It requires adaptability, resilience, and transformation. This enemy challenges us to embrace loss as an opportunity to rebuild and reinvent our lives.

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Of course, we don’t really get to choose our enemies in life. We likely face both dull nagging challenges and unexpected catastrophes at different phases of our lives. Sometimes, slow persistent problems come to a head in a destructive collapse. We might also have phases of back and forth that push us to find balance between stability and chaos.

The cool thing about this thought experiment is what it shows us about who we are and how we face challenges in our lives. The simple choice between a persistent or catastrophic enemy shows us our values, priorities, and underlying beliefs about growth. In the end, our choice isn’t just about the battle itself. It’s also about who we become fighting it.

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