Predators...

I've been using the word "predator" a lot lately. This is because my life has been attacked by such a creature and he has taken down so many of my friends with him. Last night in a conversation over coffee with a friend I was given a revelation. And it was this:

There are more than one kind of predators. There is a shark, a perfect killing machine that trolls the water and with powerful jaws seeks out it's prey. It has no agenda other than killing to eat and to survive. It is an honest and honorable creature that kills to survive and doesn't play games. It has a purpose and when we see this type of predator, we know to beware. These are creatures that while have no conscience per se, kill quickly and without malice.

There is another kind of predator though. This is the predator that has no power of it's own. It has to feed off the remains of weak and vulnerable creatures. It has to live on the left-overs that the sharks of this world leave behind. This predator is like the hyena, a scavenger that seeks out the weak and the sick, the dying and the vulnerable. It feeds on carrion because it is not powerful or clever enough to kill the strong and healthy.The hyena sneaks in and steals it's prey. It is not honest nor is it noble. It has the same powerful jaws and gnashing teeth but it is forced to live off the droppings of the more powerful predators. The hyena is so impotent that it has to get what it needs by sneaking and stealing what it wants. It has no power to make it's own living so it steals from those who's defenses have been weakened by the world. This creature lives in it's own filth surrounded by the stench of it's stolen prey. 

This creature in it's human form has no conscience. Unlike the shark who kills only to sustain itself, the hyena cannot kill and so must steal and connive to survive...

It is this hyena that has come in and attacked me and my friends. This hyena who laughs to make us feel safe, who hides his crushing jaws and his carrion-stained breath with pretty words and empty promises. It is this hyena who hides behind the women he is circling to protect him from being exposed for the predator that he truly is. He has fed off the carcasses of women who have been broken and crushed by the world and with no conscience he eats the remaining flesh from these bones and when the flesh is used up, he moves on to the next carcass. 

This hyena was so sure of himself and so arrogant and so convinced that these "carcasses" were under his spell that he underestimated a few of us. He underestimated our humanness and compassion for each other that when his stench became clear, we shared his ugly secrets. He was found out and has had to slink away to hide behind another's skirts, one who still cannot see nor smell his filth.

And this hyena is still out there, prowling and circling, choosing his next victims. So beware this hyena who looks like a puppy dog. Take care to look behind those engaging eyes and see the predator that lurks there. Take care to see past the pretty words and compliments to the underlying snares that exist waiting to catch you, like they caught me and so many others. And do not be fooled by the bluster of his accomplishments, for they are empty at best. Don't be fooled by his sly whispers and unspoken threats. He smells your weakness through the screen and knows just when to strike...