Love your Enemies

In Matthew 5:43, the speaker of the Sermon on the Mount says that not only should people love their neighbors, but they should also love their enemies and those who persecute them. I think this is a very important lesson to learn because this makes us more human. I know that in my personal view, I am much more likely to act favorably towards someone who is kind to me even if we are enemies. Society teaches us to be cold to one another and not to care about our neighbors. However, I believe that if we followed not only God’s rule of “love thy neighbor,” but also the speaker’s teaching of “love thy enemies” then our society will begin to warm and soften in its attitude towards one another. Loving your enemies is very important; however it is being ignored on a daily basis. I know that I am personally guilty of ignoring someone because I do not like them or because they have treated me poorly. I have ignored many people that I would consider my “enemy” because of the way they treat me. I have a feeling that if I had treated them more warmly, then we could have had a better relationship. It seems like basic human nature that you cannot hate someone who is kind to you and treats you like a human. Because of the way we treat one another and the fact that we really could change the world by treating one another nicer, I feel that the most important lesson and the most neglected lesson is to love your enemy from Matthew 5:43.