My Enemies

enemy [en-uh-mee] noun  a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.

What kind of dire state does one have to be in to make up a list of their [hopefully miserable] enemies?  Actually, I’m feeling pretty good about everything these days, and my enemies are not a burden.  So don’t expect any animus in this posting.

Enemies are so stimulating. – Katharine Hepburn

God said to love your enemies, but he never said not to have them, and thankfully I still have a few.  But why stir up trouble by bringing attention to them?  The truth is my enemies really are amongst my favorite things.  They have occupied a good deal of my attention over the years, and, not surprisingly, I miss their stimulation as I morph into this latest iteration of me.

Friends come and go but enemies accumulate. – Arthur Bloch

Now, I’m not saying that this kinder, gentler, more patient version of Tony is not still accumulating enemies, but the opportunities are not as frequent.  I miss the fertile battleground of home.

Home is anywhere that you know all your friends and all your enemies. – Orson Scott Card

The biggest change in my life, especially as it relates to making and keeping enemies, has been my move to Naples, Florida.  Living down here for most of the past several years [other than my delightful summer respites in Williamsville from Memorial Day to Labor Day] has removed me from most of the skirmishes that had previously led to so many invigorating confrontations.

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned. – William Congreve

But back home there was even more fertile land to sow the seeds of enmity.  In retrospect, nothing stirred up the pot of animosity more than my relationship with women.  These days there is no longer the mystery to women that captivated me so convincingly, but that has not diminished my memories of those that occupied me so fervidly.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that my affectionate memories may run counter to their recollection.  Nevertheless, their passion, even when it was turned against me, made me know I was alive, and it will never dissipate.

Even paranoids have real enemies. – Delmore Schwartz

While building the Stereo Advantage in the early days, engaging the competition head-on was undeniably the most energizing part of my life.  From 1978 to 1991, I was focused and ferocious in my pursuit of fending off all of my real or imagined foes.

Enemies make you stronger, allies make you weaker. – Frank Herbert

Stereo Plus, Purchase Radio, Altronics, Sounds Great, Transcendental Audio, Stereo Chamber, Silo, Leechmere, and on and on – all came and went, and I’d like to think we played a part in their demise.  The beauty of it was that it was simply survival of the fittest.  It was not about retribution or vengeance.  It was all about kicking ass and taking names.  I can say without a doubt that it was the relentless competition that forged our resolve and enabled our success.

Kill them with success and bury them with a smile. – Paul Hudson

And now I am sitting in my office on a beautiful Sunday morning in Naples.  The sun just snuck out from a morning rain, and we’ll be heading out for a little breakfast at Poached after I hit the publish button for this post.  Two eggs over easy, crisp bacon, and some raisin toast that tastes like dessert.  I’ll finish off the day with a little web development for the new Advantage Business Exchange and maybe a Skype with some of my kids or friends up north.

When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I’m slipping. – Maria Callas

And then I’ll fall asleep comforted by the possibility that my enemies might miss me.  But the fact of the matter is that I am simply forgotten.  I never mattered as much to them as they did to me.  So it goes.

A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him. – Aesop
Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. – John F. Kennedy
Treat your friend as if he might become an enemy. – Publilius Syrus
If you have always been my enemy, it’s still that way. – Suge Knight
Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. – Oscar Wilde
An excellent man; he has no enemies; and none of his friends like him. – Oscar Wilde
Never explain – your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. – Elbert Hubbard
Now, now my good man, this is no time to be making enemies. – Voltaire on his deathbed in response to a priest asking him that he renounce Satan.
I like to have powerful enemies.  Makes me feel important. – Leigh Bardugo
I choose my acquaintances for their good character and my enemies for their intellect.  A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies. – Oscar Wilde