Friend vs. Ally

I find it interesting that the opposite of "enemy" is often given as "friend", but every now and then, it is also said to be "ally".  And yet, nobody ever uses "friend" and "ally" as synonyms.

An ally is one who helps you with a task. Allies have the same goals, and so they choose to work together to accomplish that goal.

Friends are more than that, but also quite different. Friends help us through life. They ease our burden and strengthen our resolve. They may have very different goals in life, but friends stick together and better each other.

I think this curiosity also goes to show that "enemy" is a more peculiar word than we might realize. An enemy could be somebody who is specifically trying to thwart your goals in life, or it could be somebody who simply hates you as a human being.

It is definitely worth exploring the different ways in which a person could be considered an enemy.