A rookie mistake that could cost you dearly

Many, many centuries ago, when the world was still young, Yours Truly read a book that sent him hunting for the remaining 5 or so books in the series Here's a taste of that masterpiece: There were talks of an inevitable war in the lands... One of the Protagonists was a man blessed by the Heavens... He was tireless and virtually indestructible... He could command the LIGHT of heaven as a weapon in battle. But his ideal weapon of choice was a wooden staff ornately marked by arcane writings... He was a champion of Heaven...a Paladin of sorts... His name? **THE WRATH OF GOD IN THE WORLD OF MAN** And he fought for the Green Kingdom. On the flip side was his archnemesis.. The Devil's own Assassin - a wicked warrior wielding two wicked daggers that did wicked deeds... He could get behind any closed doors. So, if he wanted you dead, there was no stopping him. He, too, was virtually indestructible and he championed the course of Hell. His name? **THE WRATH OF HELL IN THE WORLD OF MAN** And he fought for the Red Kingdom. They were both the NUCLEAR WEAPONS of their respective armies. As the plot deepened... Strings were pulled; Dice were cast; And cards were dealt... Until the skirmishes between the two Kingdoms degenerated into an open war. And it was a GLORIOUS battle... The Paladin made a mockery of his opponent's military training...Cracking skulls protected with metal helmets with just a single blow of his wooden staff. And blocking death blows from sharp swords with what was essentially a stick... He was unstoppable. Same as the Devil's Assassin. No one could see him coming, even though the battle was in open plains. But the whispers of his daggers and the rivers of blood behind him were testament to his deadly skills. He was carving a straight line through the ranks of the Green Army... And his trajectory soon became apparent. He was gunning for the The Wrath of God! Finally, the twain collided... And ordinary soldiers were more than happy to ignore them as the two danced the dance of death. An epic fight ensued... They fought with supernatural speed and strength...landing blows that would have turned lesser men into dusts on each other. But they fought on... And the one could not outdo the other in battle. They were evenly matched. So, the fight continued... Until finally, at a very critical moment The Assassin's hood fell off...and the face beneath the hood was the face of the Paladin's son... Ah! Apparently, the Paladin abandoned his wife and son when he took on the mantle of The Wrath of God in the world of man. And this prompted his son to go in search of a scroll that transformed him into his father's nemesis. It was all about "Daddy Issues" for The Wrath of Hell... Things quickly got interesting from there... The father and the son settled their issues and, get this, reconciled right there on the battle field. Even more interesting: The son switched to the father's side. With the Wrath of God in the World of Man and the Wrath of Hell in the World of Man working together,the world of man suffered. Specifically, they laid waste to the men of the red army. And NO ONE could stop them. The battle was decisively OVER. There's a ton of lessons in there. But at the time, I merely thought it'd be wonderful to lay hands on one of 'em scrolls. But looking at the story now from behind the lens of the wisdom I have accumulated over the past years, I see a distinct lesson in there. And here it is: At the most critical point in your life, your greatest ALLY can become your greatest FOE. and... Your greatest FOE can turn out to be your greatest ALLY. Here is wisdom: Learn to deal with friends as with strangers; and with strangers as potential friends. Then you will not be shocked when your greatest ASSET morphs into your greatest NIGHTMARE. And vice-versa. It is a rookie mistake to assume that your friends will ALWAYS be your friends and your foes will always be your foes. Understand this: There are NO absolutes. And nothing is cast in stone! You will spare yourself many unpleasantness.