🔼: ##### Near Enemy[^1] Rather than a far enemy or polar opposite (like Love to Hate) a near enemy is an [[⭐️ Emotions|emotion]] that could be easily mistaken for the things we want to express, what we want to share, the qualities we want to have, but they instead sever the [[☀️ Connection|connection]] we seek. On the surface, the near enemies of emotions or experiences might look and even feel like connection, but ultimately they drive us to be [[💡 Disconnection|disconnected]] from ourselves and from each other. Without awareness, near enemies become the practices that fuel separation, rather than practices that reinforce the inextricable connection of all people. > [!example] Examples > - [[🔑 The near-enemy of compassion is pity]] > - [[💡 Empathy|Empathy]] and [[💡 Enmeshment|enmeshment]] or [[💡 Sympathy|sympathy]] > - [[💡 Righteousness|Righteousness]] and [[💡 Self-Righteousness|self-righteousness]] [^1]: [[📖 ✅ Atlas of the Heart (Show)]] Episode 5