Of puff-balls and 'near-enemies'

On the rainy golf-course yesterday morning, I picked this. From a little way off, it and its fellow-fungi looked for all the world like golf-balls that have been chewed up and spat out by those drive-on lawn mowers they use up there...

But no, it is fungi...and I am convinced it is a delicious puff-ball.

Almost...

Puff-balls, it appears, like so many edible fungi, have a near-enemy - a poisonous fungi, masquerading as the real deal, and out to make you very sick...

One of the many lists in the Buddhist world I am exploring consists of:

Loving-kindness (metta)

Compassion (karuna)

'Joy with others' (mudita) and

Equanimity (upekkha)

Each of these lovely things, called the Four Brahma-Viharas, have their opposite of course - their 'far-enemy'.

But fascinatingly they each also have a 'near-enemy' - masquerading as the real deal...

The one which particularly interests me today is Karuna (compassion), whose far enemy is of course cruelty, and whose near-enemy is sentimental pity or horrified anxiety.

So when we see scenes of starving children in the Yemen on our tv screens this week, we can react by turning off the news (do we not have enough problems?!)

Or we can react with horrified anxiety, wringing our hands in useless and helpless sentimental pity.

Or we can respond with compassion, explore what we can do or give, and do so...