Kreamie:

The Thing Don Tire Me Sef, Especially That Durella Guy, [size=13pt]He Go Dey Shout Enemies Like Say Him Life Depends On It[/size]!!Mtsheeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

LOL

You can always tell ignorance by speech.OP comes here talking bout 'enemies' like the word is indigenous to naija.FYI it's an english word.If people that there are enemies in their lives,will your difference in opinion change that?

An enemy by definition is 1.one who hates you,2.one who wants harm you,3.one who opposes you,4.a detractor,etc.

If people see any of this in their lives abeg free them.If you are free of enemies thank God for your own life.

I'm sooo glad I'm not the person that has noticed the 'enemy BS". The sad part of the whole enemy mentality is that the real enemy lies within, SMH, what a mentality to have that whatever occurs to a 9ja person is the work of the enemy, oma se o,

oyinda.:

I think it has to do with our very spiritual religious beliefs. But then I also notice that even in the US, blacks speak/sing about "haters" in almost the same breadth as we Nigerians talk about "enemies"

True that . . . my cousin's just turning five and she calls her mum a 'hater' for refusing to buy a particular brand of cereals.

It's socially constructed, the need to blame someone else for anything that happens, and it's partly natural human paranoia.

Nigeria is so perculiar of that word, Enemies, which is very wrong, any little tap, they gonna say its enemies, why they them selves are the fault, Ignorance, That why i read philosphy a lot. and build my mind set, not religion especially Christianity which teaches how to be aware of enemies

Why must we be mild with our foes? Never! We go crazy but that doesn't mean we make them popular. They are only in the news; if acted in movies and or lyriced in songs _it's on an educative note. It does not only apply in Nigeria so long as world history is concerned. Take a look at Adolf Hitler and the world war; Osama Laden and the United States of America; Chales Taylor and Liberia; you can name the rest. Did they take it kindly? An enemy is an enemy.

akwaowoudo:

Why must we be mild with our foes? Never! We go crazy but that doesn't mean we make them popular. They are only in the news; if acted in movies and or lyriced in songs _it's on an educative note. It does not only apply in Nigeria so long as world history is concerned. Take a look at Adolf Hitler and the world war;  Osama Laden and the United States of America; Chales Taylor and Liberia; you can name the rest. Did they take it kindly? An enemy is an enemy.

Gbammm!!!!!

Maybe you people have forgotten what the Bible says that "When MEN slept, the devil came and sow what, "Read it up yourself.

I used to be in the world of "Why are people crazy about their Enemies" before now but my brother, this is real. In this part of the world we find ourselves weather you believe it or not there are some people out there who are bent that you wouldn't succeed. They might not necessarily be witches and wizard. They are close to you just like your immediate family, colleague in the office, business partners e.t.c. This is real, we all need to run under the cover of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said "Put on the whole armour of God" why? Because he knows that the wicked, even if you don't prepare for them, they will wage war against you. It happened to me personally and I can tell you, whether you believe it or not, there are people out there who HATES you being successful. This is the TRUTH.

Finally, the wicked one will never attack just ONE category of people and these people are THOSE WHO DOES NOT AMOUNT TO ANYTHING IN LIFE. But if by God's grace you have achieve a commensurable success; ohh! my brother and sister, even if you don't believe it, people around you will envy you, very very few positively envy but a large number of people will envy negatively. You will be surprise who those people will be. Very very close people to you. This will definitely lead to wickedness. They will go places to pull you down while you yet being good to them. It's the truth believe it or not. I have witnessed someone visiting a native doctor in other to clear off his immediate boss and take over the position. Ita happening real and you need to WATCH YOUR BACK. That is why we need to Pray againt the unforeseen evil of the wicked.

An adage says God help those who help themselves. Since the wicked ones will not notify you before perpetrating their evil craft, that is why we have to pray ahead to counter their evil act.

My twenty cent.

Because they can go to any length to destroy you

It seems most of u guys are not frm African society cos if u do u will know dat enemy do exist pls.

Spino J:

It seems most of u guys are not frm African society cos if u do u will know dat enemy do exist pls.

have you seen your enemies physically, maybe you should have a dialogue with him/her so you can have peace

fresh_dude:

You can always tell ignorance by speech.OP comes here talking bout 'enemies' like the word is indigenous to naija.FYI it's an english word.If people that there are enemies in their lives,will your difference in opinion change that?

An enemy by definition is 1.one who hates you,2.one who wants harm you,3.one who opposes you,4.a detractor,etc.

If people see any of this in their lives abeg free them.If you are [b]free of enemies[/b]thank God for your own life.

. . . and ask for one -at least.
For a 'no-enemy' life, is no life.

because the number of enemies is crazy

Vadewoyin,
I could not thank you enough for bringing up this topic. I have had extensive discussions with friends on this issue.   I agree with most part of Cheik’ analogy below.
If you look through history, developed cultures are cultures where people have elevated themselves from battling the invisible enemy to the visible enemy. What applies in the Nigerian setting is that a lot of people tend to attribute their short-comings / misfortunes to some invisible forces, by so doing exonerating themselves of blames within their control. Naturally, the process of growth and development will be to acknowledge and admit ones faults and try to learn from them. Then try to do things differently in other to achieve a better outcome. That’s why you see a lot of black people making the same mistakes over and over again. This trail of thought existed in the dark ages in Europe aswel i.e. The Spanish inquisition. The religious institutions are not without blames in this, I know religion can been soothing and comforting, but I think the appeal to the individual’s responsibilities and duty in taking pragmatic steps in solving their challenges are far too under-played.
In Nigeria and some African countries, kids that face psychological challenges and people who suffer dementia are often branded as witches and are tortured and even killed.
Arguably, the largest source of human knowledge is SCIENCE. Lacking the scientific explanation to some events, and by so doing attributing them to some imaginary forces, I consider a cheap cup out!
I dare to make a parallel that the current state of our under-development and the fact that a lot the mysteries and shamble that prevail in Nigeria today stems from this mentality!

Cheik, Kudos for you insight and contribution.

Most Nigerians are intellectually lazy and irresponsible hence imaginary(other) enemies must be blamed for every misfortune including reckless driving. Nigerians never take responsibility for their own action/inaction. Most Nigerian communities rarely acknowledge death naturally without ascribing the cause of death to some imaginary 'enemies' etc. Nigerians want immediate gratification preferably wealth, hence the rapid exponential growth in all manner of places of religious worship everywhere(christian or Islam). Nigeria is fertile ground for any imaginative religious zealot/demagogue, for Nigerians are very gullible. It's inherent and an extension of their so called African tradition/ culture which naturally predates the two major conquest religions(Christianity and Islam) pervasive in Nigeria. Christianity and in traditional African belief, 'enemies' are acknowledged to be everywhere or blamed whereas in Islam it's usually 'Allah's will' so the Nigerian have ready made excuse to be fatalistic. Did Mantu not ascribe his failure of the Hajj organisation during OBJ presidency, that it's 'Allah's Will'? Nigerians will always have real or imaginary 'enemies' because it absolves them from taking 'Responsibility'

It's also a business project that has ready and willing clients, hence you hear the Pastors preaching this topic all the time, and the musicians are not left out.

If only you were aware of the number of people who dislike you for your fine face that you did not buy,you go dey careful.People hate for no discernable/rational reason except that you always looking,smelling and doing good.You dont roll with them so you're arrogant then they say 'who him be sef?', congratulations you have just won for yourself an enemy whom you're totally oblivious of.Secondly,those colleagues who go about spreading lies about you in the office,stealing vital documents from your desk when you run to the loo,who gist with you just to learn your success and then employ them against you what do you call them 'friends',abeg if you think you are void of enemies think again.Some people have no future,instead of them to strive for improvement them go dey find person wey dem go spoil him own.So if Timaya or Durella scream their lungs hoarse on account of their enemies,scream wit them or skip such tracks.

Now spiritually speaking,the devil 'aka satan' is THE enemy of the christian not the myriad of devilish people around.Now every discerning bible student knows that the devil has no power 'for all power on earth,beneath the earth,etc,has been given to Jesus.The devil's main weapon is ignorance simple. The idea is to keep the christian ignorant and keep him down blah blah blah, that's anoda day's talk. There 4,those clergymen spending the bulk of their time and energy on this enemy biznes fall under the category of christians who know no better.Their lives would be more effective if they spent more time on their personal improvement.



In a nutshell,enemies exist but let them do their thing you do yours,as far you're in God's good book,nuttin do you.

Na Timaya naim carry enemy for head pass.

Lets be true to ourselves. As humans, we are bound to make enemies, our lifestyles for instance cant be pleasing to everyone. People will beef you for the most ridiculous reasons, I've seen Mr A beefing Mr B because Mr B never asked anyone around for anything. Our every step whether good or bad will generate both positive or negative reaction from people, For me I'll gather positive energy from good people and Ignore bad belle people but haters can be unbearable and besides we humans are competitive beings, (opponents) enemies are part of the game

Am rather glad someone else has noticed this. Nigerians have really gone off with this enemies thing.

Of course, it's normal to have enemies, both those you know and those you don't. However, it's not normal to obsess over them like they control your life (xcept you believe they do). Some people go to great lengths to deal with "enemies" both real and unreal. Infact, at least half the number of enemies people think they have are usually imaginary. But that's not it. What the poster is trying to say is not that we should ignore the existence of enemies but not to kill ourselves over them. If an enemy doesn't wish you well, then let that the be the person's problem to think of. If you believe there is a greater power than that of your enemies (for religious adherents), then you should let your supreme being fight your battles instead of worrying yourself while you still believe that your 5od can deal with your enemies. It's people who don't believe there is a solution to their problem of enemies that spend time worrying about them. However, if you don't believe there's someone or something greater than your "enemies", knock yourself out worrying about them.

Peace.

the issue of enemies to me cannot be over-emphasize, especially as Christians because as Christians we live by what the bible says, and Jesus himself said the devil who is our arch enemy has come to steal to kill and to destroy and he also said we wrestle not against flesh and blood,but against principalities and powers against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies and against the rulers of the darkness of the world.therefore going by that,we know we are in constant battle with the devil and its agents and it not a joking matter,not until you are manipulated into one miserable corner you will begin to seek for help,then you will face the reality of these workers of iniquity,if you doubt ask the rich who have terminal sickness or doesn't have children,ask the first-class student who goes mental or doesn't have a job,ask the pastor who delivers people but ends up raping a child or losing his family to accident,it goes on and on.these forces and there human agents are there and victory is sure through faith in the word of God, ignore them at your own peril

jesuspikin:

the issue of enemies to me cannot be over-emphasize, especially as Christians because as Christians we live by what the bible says, and Jesus himself said the devil who is our arch enemy has come to steal to kill and to destroy and he also said we wrestle not against flesh and blood,but against principalities and powers against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies and against the rulers of the darkness of the world.therefore going by that,we know we are in constant battle with the devil and its agents and it not a joking matter,not until you are manipulated into one miserable corner you will begin to seek for help,then you will face the reality of these workers of iniquity,if you doubt ask the rich who have terminal sickness or doesn't have children,ask the first-class student who goes mental or doesn't have a job,ask the pastor who delivers people but ends up despoiling a child or losing his family to accident,it goes on and on.these forces and there human agents are there and victory is sure through faith in the word of God, ignore them at your own peril

WORD!!!

teskyman, fresh-dude, Jesuspikin


you're right on point.

“if you doubt ask the rich who have terminal sickness or doesn't have children,ask the first-class student who goes mental or doesn't have a job,ask the pastor who delivers people but ends up despoiling a child or losing his family to accident,it goes on and on”

This is typical, isn’t it? Well, where do I start?
On people who are sick, isn’t being sick part of human existence?
The fact that you were given birth to, is not a guarantee that you will in turn give birth to someone.
And to think that there will be enough jobs to go round for everyone at any given point in time is an illusion.
These are all part of the challenges of life. If we do not get to deal with challenges in life, life will be incomplete and we will become complacent of the good things of life.
And I guess what the poster is trying to assert is, you do not need to have enemies to experience the challenges of life. Why attribute such to the existence of some virtual enemy without any reasonable conviction? Is it because you want people to feel sorry for you? Or are you seeking agony company? One will be stronger dealing with life’s challenges by approaching things from your point of strength.
On religion and beliefs: They are both like expectations, if you expect to go from point A to point B and you don’t get moving, well, we all know what the result will be.

^^there are enemies, and this is no superstition.

even if you're perfect and feel you can never give offence to someone, it could be your very existence that makes you somebody's enemy.

tpia1

does that mean everyone you argue with on nairaland is your enemy? Do you loose sleep over stuff tha happens on nairaland?
Most of the people you have some 'beef' with on nairaland, do you think they want to hurt you one way or the other ?

fresh_dude:

You can always tell ignorance by speech.OP comes here talking bout 'enemies' like the word is indigenous to naija.FYI it's an english word.If people that there are enemies in their lives,will your difference in opinion change that?

An enemy by definition is 1.one who hates you,2.one who wants harm you,3.one who opposes you,4.a detractor,etc.

If people see any of this in their lives abeg free them.If you are free of enemies thank God for your own life.

You've got brains and you sure use it unlike most NLanders who now act like they possessed by the New World Order syndrome. We are Africans dammit, Why would yall act like "enemies" makes no sense to you? There are enemies and i mean plenty of them; If you are safe, then, thank God.
You sure don't wanna be tormented.

[b][size=16pt]Wow!! In that case theblessed might be an enema to 99.98% of people on here but fortunately, theblessed herself has no enema o o o  . 

Yes, as a free agent she might be seen to infuriate some sensitive skins with her writings but hey, she can't help being objective. 

To her, the 'word' enema,  is not only a sensitive but very strong word to use in a forum where people come to hang out and share their views on issues.  After all, we are all behind the screens and don't know or would never recognise each other even if we meet them the street, abi 

Yeah, in a forum there might be differences of opinion but that does not make you enemies, ok! 

Personally, if I fancy your topic and felt that you might misunderstand my view, I kukuma will avoid it for the sake of not stiring up arguments from you/others. That's why, I don't respond to certain groups on here - for peace sake and not that they are my enamasssss!

So, if I were you, I would rather not use the word enemy 'cos, its too strong a word to use in a friendly environment like this. [/size][/b]

Why are people always saying/writing any negative things about Nigeria? Must you guys always write something negative about this country?

Dis Guy:

tpia1

does that mean everyone you argue with on nairaland is your enemy? Do you loose sleep over stuff tha happens on nairaland?
Most of the people you have some 'beef' with on nairaland, do you think they want to hurt you one way or the other ?

the typers on nl, arent they flesh and blood like you and i?

so you dont know even leaving nigeria doesnt mean antagonists wont follow you to join with the ones already there who dont know you from adam.

yes, i'm intentionally typing in parables.

the thread isnt about nl arguments, btw.



shine your eyes and reconsider your question.

would you consider someone you bumped you on the train, in the park your enemy

if you're not getting on well with a work colleague do you actually feel the person is trying to harm you?

^^we're on different pages.

what I am addressing isnt do you feel someone is your enemy but rather, are there actually people who consider themselves your enemy.

with or without a reason.

I know people can be envious or jealous. That's the cause of bitter enemity.


The major cause of bitter enmity is jealousy. The devil can use people to do evil.
Your "enemy" is not always the person you think it is.
I do not pre-ocuppy myself with enemy or anything.
For some fighting the enemy is a major obsession. I don't believe the so-called enemy has so much time to dedicate to you anyway.
This enemy thing can become dangerous: we have read of men hacking down their mothers for "holding them back in life".
Psychologists/sociologists in the house should do a major study on this: to see the prevalence of this belief and how it affects us. We don't have to wait for some white guy from Cambridge or Havard to do this.

But enemy business is a major industry in Nigeria: thousands of babalawos/dibias and prayer warriors depend on it.
With textile/automobile and other industries folding up, we cannot also afford jobless dibias all over the land.