"KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE & YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER"...Is there any truth in this saying...?

There is a great deal of truth to that old saying. And i will not answer the question based on the situational problems that one may be experiencing here at YA, as I can see some internal wrangling. I'll answer it based on life...in general. But on a more polemic side, I would have to say that life's greatest dangers often come not from external enemies but from our supposed colleagues and friends, who pretend to work for the common cause while scheming to sabotage us and steal our ideas for their gain. Throughout ur life u will find yourself fighting on 2 fronts; the external front--your inevitable enemies and 2nd and less obvious...the internal front, your colleagues and COURTIERS, many of whom will scheme against you, advancing their own agendas at your expense.

Obviously the solution is not to ignore the internals problem (you will have a short life if you do so) or to deal with it in a direct and conventioanl manner, by complaining, acting aggressively, or forming defensive alliances. UNDERSTAND: internal warfare is by nature unconventional. Since peopletheoretically on the same side usually do their best to maintain the appearance of being team players working for the greater good, complaining about them or attacking them will only make you look bad and isolate you. Yet at the same time, you can expect these ambitious types to operate underhandedly and indirectly. Outwardly charming & cooperative, behind the scene they are manipulative and slippery.

When you sense colleagues who may prove dangerous--try to gather intelligence on them. Look at their character, behaviour, their mistakes for signs of flaws. With this knowkedge in hand, you are ready for the game of one-upmanship. How? Begin by doing something to prick the underlying wound, creating doubt & insecurity. You then follow up with secondary actions that feed their doubts. (limits on space prevents examples). The endgame is deceptively simple: having piled up enough self-doubt to trigger a reaction, you stand back and let the target self-destruct. Defensive people unconsciouly push people away. Aesop once said 2600 years ago, "We often give our rivals the means of our own destruction."

In short, If you "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" you will sleep better at night.

Never interefere with an enemy that is in the process of committing suicide.---N. Bonaparte

EDIT: Not hunting for a BA here...just want to assist in the quest for the re-location of the lost Center of Gravity...or shall we say, the 'gravitas' ( not to be confused with the other, though coming from same etymology). Reason enough to dig up Greene's book. To reiterate once more, my answer has all the application one can need in general life. The greatest strategist of them all, Sun Tzu, laid out the strategic patterns and principles later developed further. Look it up, TDs. Otherwise, don't be a poltroon...answer the question.

2ND EDIT: "Whooa! You have received 30 TDs and 20 TUs," ---the oracle has spoken. Are we in the Greek Travel Section? Negative!

Hey, we're in the Psychology Section...aren't we? Affirmative!

But the great amount of TUs and TDs here is something else, and there's just only that many responders here. I thought this only happens in the Greek Travel section...well, occassionally in the other sections also, but there, it has been fairly consistent....hmmm...and now the PSYCHOLOGY section, too? And no trolls around to speak of getting involved in this question. I thought the trolls are the ones creating the mayhem with those EXORBITANT NUMBER OF TUs and TDs..crikey!

Did somebody deliberately let the cat out of the bag?

@Pandora...I checked out your other "travel" question, & saw what you meant....

@SUPERBOB... you took this old saying too literally, mate. Heh heh, typical, very typical...but practical, I must say. lol I think you oughta get the BA. Now watch out for the singularity effect!

@@ALEGNIKI & JADE…thanks, but after all don’t forget, JUDGE DREDD is here in this question/answer also...so don't underestimate the power of _________ (fill in the blank). (wink) (wink) ( ; - )

@Mike real British...Aawwww, matey...it's just that your government already took to heart what Lord Halifax had said a long time ago: "Nothing would more contribute to make a man wise than to have always an enemy in his view." So, I think you 'wise' Brits know what you're doing (I hope) heh heh.

I sleep with my friends and eat my enemies. So, they're both really close, but you could say the enemies are just a bit closer. Uh oh, gotta poop...

In my opinion it's a very machiavellian idea. While it was originally by Sun Tzu who used it in the context of warfare, in my opinion it's more related to politics, specifically the political kingdoms of old when it was relatively easy to backstab each other. When you keep your enemies close they start to trust you, and at the prime moment, you backstab them when they're least expecting it.

In modern times, it has relevance in any sort of competitive situation. If you're playing a sport, for example, one of the most powerful things you can do is befriend members of the enemy team. When they start to trust you, their attitudes toward you will relax and their competitive spirit will drop. Plus they may give you information into their secrets.

The British government are importing our enemies from the Muslim and non European world Africa etc, in massive multi million numbers: is this their way of "keeping our enemies closer" to actually give them part of our country?

NO

It is important to keep your enemy out of knife's length, lest they stab you!

If you cannot avoid being far away from your enemies, the learn how to fight, either literally or "politics".

Most of the people who answered are quite safe and cosy because they're not in Sierra Leone, they're not in The Congo, They're not in Afghanistan, they're not in prison, etc, etc. In short, we're all doing quite well because we are far, far away from all the nasty stuff.

If you are the CEO of a big company, in fact any company or a competitive athlete or a politician, you better keep your enemies closer. It could mean the difference between success and failure. On the other hand, if you go to college like me, its ridiculous. You shouldn't have any enemies, everyone should be your friends. Having this enemy mindset will create problems, I think it will.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

- Sun Tzu

Ive sat back and listened to you all....

my conclusion is ....

Whether its true or not ... I dont want to fight no more... dedicated to all who care ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__dXUvo5MH8

Please make me smile ... I need the twinkle back in my eye...xx

@ Liebestod.... your answer was Simply the Best.... Better than all the rest. :) lol

I don't really think that's a good saying but I do believe this. "A friend is but a known enemy." Sometimes a person you treated as a friend becomes your worst enemy and vice-versa. Always be extremely cautious when dealing with people because you just never know what could happen.

Truths that little children have learned:

You can’t trust dogs to watch your food!

Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair!

Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time!

Pandora- i had this conversation with a friend last week....I have 2 schools of thought on this.

1- keep them in your heart- as in forgiveness,,,that does not mean you condone their behaviour, but simply for yourself not holding onto hate..anger..fear...whatever..

2- keep them in your pocket, know where they are, what they are up to..just so your 1 step ahead...that is if the enemy is a threat

Doing both is a win-win outcome for you...self preservation and self protection

@Pandora- you are right- its upsetting to see all this squabbling...this is a forum.. not a school yard..it makes YA unpleasant..to say the least.