You Have No Enemies
You may have seen the trend “you have no enemies” on your TikTok For You Page. The term “you have no enemies” originated from one of the anime series, Vinland Saga, which tells the story of Thorfinn, a child of a former Viking warrior who escaped the battlefield to live a peaceful life named Thors. Thorfinn, who is ambitious to become a fighter, sneaks into a room containing his father’s dagger and sword. Thors advises his son, “you have no enemies.” In short, Thorfinn joins his father’s fleet of ships, which decides to return to battle after their family and village are threatened.
Unexpectedly, Thorfinn witnesses his own father being killed by Askeladd, who was paid to take his father’s life. This incident leads Thorfinn to have the ambition to avenge his father’s death by killing Askeladd with his own hands. Thorfinn then infiltrates and joins Askeladd’s group, becoming one of his followers. So, what is the meaning behind “you have no enemies” emphasized by Thors to his son? How can we apply the value of “you have no enemies” in our lives? Let’s break it down!
Apart from the character development experienced by several characters, especially Thorfinn, I was rather interested in discussing the actual meaning of “you have no enemies” from my personal perspective. This trend is seemingly being treated as no more than joke. A silly common TikTok trend like any other. It is unfortunate to see because in my opinion, this concept can be applied to bring benefits for the peace we pursue in life
Vinland Saga depicts what happens when we become slaves to our anger and desire. The characters throughout the story portray themselves as deeply enslaved to these emotions. In season 1, Thorfinn, Askeladd, and Prince Canute are characters that can help us further understand the message behind this.
When we observe how Thorfinn’s character is depicted in the story and witness his father’s murder, we may understand why Thorfinn becomes obsessed with revenge. Thorfinn becomes a slave to his own anger, while Askeladd becomes a slave to his anger towards the Danish people for what they did to his mother and homeland. Prince Canute, on the other hand, becomes a slave to his god and later rejects him, which leads him to desire to create a place even more sacred than what God can create. If we look back, who would Thorfinn, Askeladd, and Canute be without their anger? The answer is nothing.
Finally, we come to the message that this anime aims to convey: humans are inherently slaves to something. However, by realizing what we are slaves to, we can become the freest individuals in the world. When we understand the cruelty and brutality of life, we can reevaluate our lives. We can learn to separate ourselves from this slavery. We realize that those who are enslaved are victims of their experiences.
The lessons i have learned upon watching this anime is, “I have no enemies, no one at all. I’ll protect myself against anything that harms my peace, but I refuse to become a slave to anger.” Men are enslaved to various things, including money, power, religion, dreams, or even love. They are unaware of their slavery to their own hatred due to their traumatic experiences, and the hatred stemming from those events causes them to throw their entire lives away. When individuals are subjected to slavery, they experience various forms of abuse, such as physical violence, sexual exploitation, forced separation from their families, and the denial of basic human rights. These traumatic experiences generate a range of emotions, including fear, anger, sadness, despair, and helplessness. The saddest part is that some men are so enslaved that they can’t imagine a life without that slavery. They reduce themselves to become a product of that slavery, losing all sense of identity.
In my brief analysis, “you have no enemies” does not mean that we should avoid violence at all costs. It is more about being able to resort to violence when necessary. For example, when our freedom is threatened, we must do what is necessary to protect that freedom. When someone takes away our rights or tries to harm us or our loved ones, we are allowed to fight back. However, it should not be driven by anger and revenge but by liberation and love.
