After Lincoln was elected president of the United States, his attitude towards his political opponents aroused the dissatisfaction of an official. The official criticized Lincoln and said, "Why do you want to be friends with those enemies? You should try to attack them and destroy them. " Lincoln said calmly and gently, "Am I not destroying my enemy?" When they become my friends, there will be no enemies. "
In the face of the "enemy", most people's view is to destroy him mercilessly, because kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. That sounds reasonable. But this is not absolutely the case, as a philosopher said: "Our success is also caused by our competitors." Therefore, in some cases, we should treat the "enemy" with a tolerant eye and "destroy" him with a tolerant attitude, just like Lincoln.
There is another person who is similar to Lincoln in how to destroy the enemy. This man is Napoleon.
Napoleon was furious at any obstacles in front of him and cruel to anyone who dared to resist his will, but this attitude changed completely after he won. He was extremely kind to the defeated army, and he sincerely sympathized with them. He often said to his soldiers, "how pitiful a general is on the day of defeat!" "
The following is a story about Napoleon's tolerance for the enemy:
Two British generals escaped from a prison camp in Verdun and went to Buren. As I have no money, I have to stay in Buren for a few days. At this time, the port of Buren was very strict with all kinds of ships, and they had no hope of escaping by boat.
Their love for their hometown and their desire for freedom prompted the two prisoners to think of a bold and adventurous way. They made a boat out of small pieces of wood, ready to cross the English Channel with this boat that could fall apart at any time. This is actually a desperate voyage. When they saw a British speedboat on the coast, they quickly started the speedboat and tried their best to catch up. They were captured by the French soon after they landed.
The news spread all over the barracks, and everyone was talking about the extraordinary courage of these two Englishmen. Napoleon was very interested when he learned this and ordered the two British generals to be brought to him by boat. He was very surprised that such a bold plan should be carried out with such a fragile tool. He asked, "Are you really going to cross the sea with this?" "Yes, your majesty. If you don't believe me, let us go and you will see how we left. "
"I let you go, you are a brave and bold person. Wherever I see courage, I admire it. But you shouldn't risk your life. You have been released, and besides, we will put you on an English ship. When you return to London, tell others how much I respect brave people, even if they are my enemies. "
Napoleon rewarded two British generals with some gold coins and sent them home.
Many people present were stunned by Napoleon's generosity. Only Napoleon knows how his soldiers will be inspired by these words and how his people will praise his tolerance and selflessness. He seemed to hear the loud cries of the soldiers and the excited slogans of Paris.
Philosopher Carlyle said, "Great men often show their greatness by being unkind to others." Treat your "enemies" with a tolerant attitude, which will show that you are different. It is precisely because of your shining humanity that you gain the trust of others and the admiration of your enemies, so that you can win their hearts and win the highest level of victory. Napoleon knew this truth well.
The following is the experience of being a man:
(1) There are no eternal enemies in the world, only competitors.
(2) Competitors will change. Today's competitors may be partners tomorrow.
(3) "The Art of War" says that siege is the top and siege is the bottom. Conquering the other side's heart is the greatest victory in the competition with the "enemy", and tolerance is one of the necessary conditions to achieve this victory.