Here’s a question for you: Does killing your enemy work?
Have you ever fantasized about destroying your enemies? What if society allowed you to kill your enemy in an honorable way?
Aaron Burr had a legitimate beef with Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton had spread vicious lies about him. Hamilton was his political enemy.
According to the day’s custom, Burr exchanged notes with Hamilton, leading to a duel. In the contest, Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton. This was completely legal.
Formerly, most of the country had sided with Burr in his dispute with Hamilton. After the duel, citizens turned against him. This led to a series of unfortunate events, which ultimately provoked him to flee into exile. Burr’s story would inspire the literary work The Man Without a Country.
Many people suffer under the delusion that removing an enemy would improve their lives. They may not wish their enemy to be dead. Still, they expend much mental energy fantasizing about their enemy moving to another locale, losing their position of influence, and no longer being around to bother them.
Aaron Burr removed his enemy according to the law of the land. It did not solve his problem. It made his situation worse. Removing your enemy will not help you or your cause.
In a telling quote repeated through the ages, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you….”
Contrast Aaron Burr’s response with that of Abraham Lincoln. Shortly after he was elected president in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was conversing with one of his advisors. Lincoln’s advisor had noted with alarm that Lincoln was filling a number of his cabinet posts with his enemies. With this in mind, he said to Lincoln, and I paraphrase, “Why are you filling up some of your most important political offices with your enemies? Listen, you are going to be president of the United States. You are going to hold one of the most powerful offices in the world. You now have the power to destroy your enemies.”
Legend says Lincoln responded, “If I make my enemies my friends, have I not destroyed my enemies?”