Community post
"Better the Devil You Know...?"
The friendly snake" that seems docile by your side...... An idea that reminds me of a striking, and often overlooked Buddhist teaching, the concept of near and far enemies of the four foundational virtues.
Known as 'The Four Immeasurables', equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion and sympathetic-joy are fundamental to Buddhist morality. The far enemies are classic opposites: hatred, ill will, cruelty, and jealousy. The near enemies for each immeasurable are equanimity: indifference, loving-kindness: sentimentality, compassion: pity, sympathetic-joy: hypocrisy.
While not encompassing the full spectrum of this underappreciated teaching, the idea brings to mind some famous lines from Little Gidding by T.S. Eliot, "And last, the rending pain of re-enactment / Of all that you have done, and been; the shame / Of motives late revealed, and the awareness / Of things ill done and done to others’ harm / Which once you took for exercise of virtue. / Then fools’ approval stings, and honor stains."
5-min freewrite inspired by C/Freewriters daily writing challenge prompt: friendly snake (followed by a quick fact and quote check)
Photo by Paolo Chiabrando on Unsplash
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Used PeakD's AI feature to write a 'poetic interpretation' of my post -
In the realm of virtues, they reside,
The four immeasurables, a noble guide.
Equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion, and joy,
Foundations of morality in Buddhist employ.
But beware, for lurking near,
Are enemies that bring forth fear.
Hatred, ill will, cruelty, and jealousy,
Opposites that challenge our virtuous decree.
Equanimity, the near enemy, is indifference,
Apathy that extinguishes our benevolence.
Loving-kindness, near enemy is sentimentality,
Emotion without action, a hollowality.
Compassion's near enemy is pity,
A condescension that lacks true empathy.
And sympathetic-joy, near enemy is hypocrisy,
Feigned happiness that hides our true empathy.
Oh, the snake, so friendly, by our side,
Its true nature, often disguised.
Like motives late revealed, in shame we dwell,
Aware of harm done, virtue turned to hell.
Fool's approval stings, honor stains,
As we confront our ill-done gains.
The friendly snake, a cautionary tale,
To look beyond the surface, beyond the veil.
So let us strive for true virtue's embrace,
To recognize the near enemies that we face.
For better the devil you know, they say,
Than the snake that leads us astray.