Many of us have heard the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," but not everyone knows where this phrase came from, who was the first to pronounce it. Why did this expression find such an active embodiment in human culture? Why is it still used by people?
We will try to find answers to these questions.
Where did this proverb come from?
There are many versions of where the proverb “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” came from. Some sources attribute it to Arab history, claiming that the phrase was spoken by a prince of an Arab country who was betrayed by his own fellow tribesmen and then brutally executed.
According to literary historians, this aphorism most likely refers to eastern wisdom. This is evident from the division of the proposal, built on the negation: the one who is the enemy of my enemy, for me becomes a friend.
However, it’s impossible to find out who the author of the phrase “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is impossible. This proverb can be considered today as an example of oriental folklore, which remains in demand in the modern world.
The meaning of expression in people's lives
In people's lives, it often happens that people unite in order to take revenge on a common offender. Such a phenomenon in psychology is called "unification based on a common motive." This motive can be both positive and negative. In this case, you can be friends with a person with whom you share a common hatred and a thirst for revenge on a particular person.
However, such friendship, in fact, is not friendship, because it is just a temporary association of people based on a common motive.
Therefore, the expression “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is debatable from a psychological point of view. You can temporarily unite with the enemy of your enemy, but it is unlikely to be friends with him. If such a friendship takes place, then this is very rare.
The essence of this expression in human history
The Eastern proverb “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” most likely appeared in Western countries in the century before last, when the mass colonization of eastern countries by Western states began. However, Western leaders did not appreciate the full significance of this expression.
The difference between Eastern and Western culture is that in the East, completely different states that have long been at war among themselves can unite in the face of external danger. This will be an example of a very peculiar friendship, but such a temporary unification is possible.
In the modern world, geopolitics often use this aphoristic expression when considering the relations between Russia and China. These two great neighbors experienced different periods of their relationship, although they openly quarreled very rarely. Now the relations between China and Russia are warm enough, which is associated with the fact that they have a common enemy - the United States.
The Chinese as a whole do not hide that the United States is both a competitor and an enemy to them. The same can be said of our country, which, after the end of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA (which officially ended with the reconciliation of the parties), feels that the Americans were able to deceive the USSR by fraud and take control of part of the Russian economy, defeating their former rival into the abyss of disasters of the 90s. 20th century.
Therefore, for China and Russia, the saying "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" remains relevant. Who said it is not important, it is important that it reflects the essence of Russian-Chinese relations today.
Expression in contemporary art and in life
The aphoristic expression considered by us was also reflected in works of art. There are a lot of these works. For example, a text is walking on the net, authored by A. Fedorov, “My Enemy's Enemy is My Friend,” which offers a short story about the adventures of a vampire.
There are other works performed in various genres of art, to which the expression considered in this article is applicable. These are films, artworks and theater plays.
In general, this expression has found its application in human culture. However, most often they put a question mark under it: is the enemy of the enemy a friend? Is this possible or impossible, and is such a friend worth trusting?
Such paradoxicality provides interest in this expression, which is likely to survive centuries.