Enmity

In my last institute class of the semester, Bro. Irwin talked about pride. He quoted from Pres. Benson's landmark address "Beware of Pride". Something that struck me was the word "enmity". Said Pres. Benson: "the central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us."
Bro. Irwin was mostly talking about enmity in the marriage relationship, but also pointed out that it happens in any type of relationship of which we are a part. He challenged us all to look for sources of enmity in our lives and then find a treatment or a cure.
I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days. It has been interesting to look at my school relationships with this in mind. For example, there are teachers at the school I'm at who know me or at least should recognize me. Some however, have pretty much disregarded my presence, or so I thought. In looking at these relationships through new eyes, I have come to adopt a new point of view. Maybe they do recognize me but aren't sure what my name is, etc. Or maybe they've got something else on their minds instead of going out of their way to talk to me. As I've tried to have a new perspective, I've worked to not let the little things bother me. It's not all about ME! I can be friendly and maybe they'll reciprocate, maybe they won't. In the end, it really doesn't matter if they said hi to me or not, so long as I did my very best to be a friend to all.
I think this is what Pres. Benson was trying to get us to learn. When we forget about ourselve, we take pride out of our lives. We begin to search for ways to help others find happiness and in doing so we put their needs above our own. Ultimately, we become like our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I'm thankful that Bro. Irwin chose to teach us about this. I can definitely see a need to evaluate and rid my life of enmity and pride. I know it can bring a positive change in me and make me happier, which something that I really want.