Dear Kozo,
Your arrogance and lack of compassion have made more enemies for us than friends.
Your selfishness and lack of empathy have sunk our career, nearly ruined our marriage, and destroyed our reputation.
Despite these failings, I forgive you. I forgive your sharp tongue, your lack of impulse control, and your insecurities. I forgive because I don’t want to be like you–lacking empathy. I forgive because by accepting you, I engulf you. I make your need to be special unnecessary.
I don’t just forgive you; I love you. I love you because by loving you I love all my enemies. I love you because I understand how all your trespasses were a desperate search for love. All your attacks were a cry for help. All your hostility stemmed from a desire to be held.
I will always love you because you are not just a part of me; you are a part of humanity. You are Godliness, Christ Consciousness, and Buddha Nature all at once. You deserve my love like a baby deserves a mother’s love. You will always be my baby. I try to lead by example, so that one day you will be a compassionate man.
With All My Heart,
Kozo
This post is part of the Bloggers for Peace Monthly Peace Challenge: Love Thy Enemy.
For more information on Bloggers for Peace click on the logo in the right hand menu.
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- Monthly Peace Challenge: Love Thy Enemy (everydaygurus.com)
everyday gurus 
A lovely way to look at it.x
Thanks, Scott. I never thought of my shadow side as lovely, but it does make sense. {{{{hugs}}} kozo
sweet letter, Kozo!
a good basis for a peace treaty
sign, seal, & deliver
to self 🙂
Haha, David. Love the song. Yes, peace treaty with myself means a peace treaty with the world. We’ll see what the long term effects are of this treaty. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. {{{hugs}}} Kozo
I considered writing something similar but I went another direction. I sorted out my issues and will add mine shortly to linkedin after I add something!
I hope you are adding the singing, Dianna. Can’t wait. {{{{Hugs}}} Kozo
Introspection very courageous!
Funny, SSF, you are the second person who has used the word courageous when I reveal my insecurities and failures. It wasn’t the response I was expecting, but thank you so much. I was expecting judgment, but I received understanding and compliments. Go figure? 🙂 {{{hugs]}} Kozo
Happy Thanksgiving Kozo! {hugs} to you and your “enemy”
haha, Julianne. Hope you had a beautiful Thanksgiving as well. {{{hugs}}} from Kozo and e-Kozo
This was so helpful. I keep running into a lady who is like this part of me..so I have been working with this part of me. It’s really hard. Your words were comforting. Thanks.
Laurie
The Universe sends us as many mirrors as we need to see ourselves in ALL our beauty, Laurie. Thank you for being a mirror for me and my dark side. {{{hugs]}} kozo
It’s very interesting stuff when we can view with a little distance. Thank you.
Laurie
Great idea, love letter to the enemy within. Thanks for the ping!
Thanks, Cheryl. I love love letters, so this was a way I could send myself one. haha. {{{hugs]}} Kozo
A profound introspect with liberating clarity.
Love the word liberating, M. Waiting for it to happen. Still waiting…haha. Thank you for the vote of confidence. {{{Hugs]}} Kozo
Oh I’m back to Adya again lol, but he’s just so wise about it all. I remember him saying that if you can completely accept yourself, all of yourself, exactly as you are, then you’re free. That’s it. Acceptance of yourself exactly as you are. Of course it’s easy to accept the ‘good’ parts. It’s the true deep completely non-judgemental acceptance of the ‘bad’ parts that takes the work. It’s a great letter Kozo – read it often, with the knowing that that wounded self is standing before you and hearing it.
(((((HUGS)))))
Alison
Such wonderful advice, Alison. I wrote this letter to get my shadow side out on “paper,” but your suggestion to revisit it to heal is brilliant. Might have to make the letter to enemy within a yearly or monthly challenge. {{{hugs}}} Kozo
Dear Kozo,
that letter was the sweetest thing ever. I love what Alison said ” read it often, with the knowing that that wounded self is standing before you and hearing it”. She is so wise, I am glad you are both my friends. xox ***hugs*** k.
K. Thank you so much for your friendship and tender support. I agree that Alison is wise and generous. I have to apologize for not being around lately. I’ve been really focusing on getting things done before the end of the year. I haven’t forgotten you and your inspiring photography. Will visit soon, my friend. {{{hugs}}} Kozo
Kozo, no worries. I know you are out there making the world more peaceful, compassionate and inspiring. Keep up the great work my friend. Cheers! ((hugs)))
Hi Kozo – and so you continue to soar! Loving you – the only “think” that matters, from which all “things” manifest! Very beautifully expressed. Much Love, Sandy
Yes, Sandy. I’m trying to become part of That which all things manifest. Be part of the background of consciousness. {{{Hugs]}} Kozo
I agree that Alison said it well. I’ve read this letter a few times because it’s, well, fascinating. It’s deep and moving, but I also love how rough it is– we’re so tough with ourselves, in a way that we wouldn’t be to others. My thoughts on this are hard to peg– but I think you took up the challenge delightfully.
And since this Kozo is part of you– then I think I love him, too. 🙂 xo!
Ahh, Rara, just he words that Kozo needed to hear. I couldn’t help notice that this letter is very similar to your grumpysaurus post. Guess we needed to reveal our shadow selves this week. Love the authenticity of Grumpysaurus. {{{Hugs}} Kozo
wow. this is a great letter, Kozo. powerful. the hardest person to forgive is actually our own self. so true. i spent this whole month thinking about what to contribute and now, the last day of November and still, nothing comes forward. this is a great letter. thanks for sharing. ☺
Thanks, Sunshine. Yes, tough to forgive the enemy within, but it feels good to get it on paper. Do your peace challenge whenever you feel up to it. I know it was a tough one. The one for this month will be more enjoyable. {{{Hugs]}} Kozo
That’s really it, isn’t it? Congratulations! In my experience, there are layers upon layers of myself to be loved… Thanks for the reminder to stay on it! with love, tomas ♥
We are all onions, Tomas. Gotta love all the layers even though they make us cry. 🙂
Thanks for the love. {{{hugs]} }Kozo
loving
~
our
imperfection
makes
us
human
~
opening
accepting
forgiving
~
makes us beautiful
Wow, Geo. That is a beautiful poem. I’m going to put it in a post, if that is ok with you. Been really busy over here with interviews and work. So grateful to get a taste of your poetry in the comments section. {{{hugs}} to you and yours. Kozo
I’ve been busy
too
~
always great
re-connecting with you
Awesome shadow work, that’s it in a nutshell. A blessed holiday season for the whole complete you. Thanks for sharing your dark side with us, it has seen the light! ☼
Learning to be the whole complete me to disintegrate the egoic me, Maddie. Thank you for your light and love. {{{Hugs}}} Kozo
Seems we were on similar wavelengths again this month. I too wrote a letter to my worst enemy, the enemy of self.
Wonderfully done, you. You are a wise man, and not for what you know now, but what you seek to know.
Love the comment, Melanie. Can’t wait to read your letter. Got a little behind due to Thanksgiving holiday, so I had to post the December Peace Challenge before I could go back and read the November submissions. {{{hugs]}} kozo
p.s.
I just finished a book that you might be interested in called Falling Upward by Richard Rohr. Available in libraries. If you read it, tell me what you think.
Thanksgiving is a good reason to be behind. I hope you had a wonderful holiday.
Thank you for the book suggestion. Double thanks that it’s available at the library. {hugs} back to you!
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