Lessons from Enemy Pie

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson is not a new book. Most of you have probably read it. After reading it, you might have closed the book and thought, "That was a great story with a wonderful message." But are we living it?

For those of you not familiar with the story, here are some things that were written about it.

"It was a perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became Enemy Number One. Luckily, Dad has a surefire way to get rid of enemies--Enemy Pie. But one of the secret ingredients is spending an entire day with the enemy!"

"In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipe for turning a best enemy into a best friend."

Richard Irwin writes, "A morsel of hatred is turned into a dessert of love."

Enemy Pie shows how to handle relationships and resolve conflict through its clever message.

How appropriate is this for any aged person in today's society? I would love to see John and Barack make each other an enemy pie. 

On Derek Munson's website, he explains what the Enemy Pie Experiment is. When he does school visits, he does a reading of the book, then a discussion and then the kids use all kinds of things to create two enemy pies-one good and one bad. They then decide which one would be best to get rid of an enemy. (Sounds like fun.)

Wouldn't this wonderful lesson of spending time with our enemies, getting to know them, and perhaps eventually fostering a relationship with them be beneficial to all of us? 

So you don't have any enemies? 

Well, here is one definition of an enemy.

One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interest of another; a foe.

Maybe that person who offends me and hurts my feelings could be one. Couldn't I apply the message from this wonderful picture book to those around me whom I feel this way about? Couldn't the teenager who thinks their english teacher hates them apply this? What about that neighbor that gives you dirty looks all the time for no reason at all. Why not bake him a pie?

I'm not saying we all have to end up like the boys in the book, but isn't it worth a try, no matter how uncomfortable, to reach out and attain even a peaceful understanding of those who fit our own definition of an enemy? 

We don't have to add a new best friend, maybe we could just get rid of an old enemy.