Friendship and the selective enmity

Is the balance between reason and affection available, and can all people balance between them if a person faces any situation?

No doubt that cultural, intellectual, and psychological formation has a great role to achieve this goal and this intention, or what is so-called maturity and wisdom.

A beholder in our Arab communities finds that many are still in need to more learning, training, and exercise to reach this high goal.

Perhaps one of the most important causes in the existence of this gap in our communities is the supremacy of sentiment over many affairs in our life even among whom we call intellectuals. This makes us go deeper more and more in psychological formation and its big role in the circulation of this phenomenon in Arab societies in particular in which this type of thinking is widespread, and which was invested powerfully by the owners of agendas and orientations.

Also, from the matters that helped the circulation of this phenomenon in our communities is the fewness of edification and promoting awareness of people by experts and those of positive and balanced effect, and those who gained this high status.

Of the causes also: The current sweeping media flow which has special agendas toward certain issues whether political or social and exhorts the public to drift with it toward its own objectives and agendas without thinking and meditation from the audience and listeners. Unfortunately, this is circulating all over the world and has a great effect in this tremendous quantum of those who live among us who lead the scene.

Perhaps one of the causes also is the fewness of acquaintance, edification, and reading by a large section of people which facilitates the spoliation of their minds easily and controlling them by whoever wants to do so. Perhaps, here I want to point out the importance of diversity in reading so as not to be a victim -without our knowledge- to intellectual stereotype orientation.

Perhaps the absence of the ascertainment culture at many people made them become a victim of imbalance in most family, social, and political aspects of their lives.

Perhaps these causes and others which I did not tackle could have led to the formation of the phenomenon of friendships, rivalries, and wrong loyalties.

The danger of this shallowness lies in thinking and its results that could lead to stirring enmity of friends and showing loyalty to enemies while its owner does not know.

Perhaps the solution lies first in the family which is the basic cell in society and the most important group as defined in sociology. Its greatest role is embodied in raising children in balance which mixes between the importance of using emotion, reason, and thinking toward what they are facing in the various worldly affairs. Then it comes the role of school and teachers which are the most important circle in forming societies, and when its role is effective, it becomes fruitful in reducing this negative phenomenon which is plaguing us.

Finally, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of the reasonable people, the intellectuals, educators, socialists, and psychiatrists in rescuing our youth and promoting them so as to be a tool of construction of their societies and countries and not to become an easy prey to enemies and lurkers.