How To Enslave an Empath

Chapter Eighteen- What About Us?

The picture above is a sculpture by Ukrainian artist Alexander Milov. It features two wire-frame adults sitting back to back with their inner children reaching out to each other from within. This sculpture was featured at the 2015 Burning Man festival in Nevada.

According to its sculptor: "It demonstrates a conflict between a man and a woman as well as the outer and inner expression of human nature. Their inner selves are executed in the form of transparent children, who are holding out their hands through the grating. As it's getting dark (night falls) the children start to shine. This shining is a symbol of purity and sincerity that brings people together and gives a chance of making up when the dark time arrives."

This work of art is aptly named: "Love". It is a powerful reminder of what is truly important in life. We live in a world of conflict. Although, we may feel caged by the expectations others place upon us, the true cage is actually our perception.

I don't want to experience pain so I create a cage around myself as a protection. We all do it in one way or another. My preconceived notions about others imprisons me to my own perception. As adults we feel cut off from true connection with others, and yet, there is a part of ourselves that longs to connect. As children this came naturally, but after years of exploitation, I feel trapped inside a self-sparing concept. I may want to fix a broken relationship, but lack the courage to allow myself to get hurt again.

Let's return now to First Corinthians chapter thirteen, and see the rest of the definition of what love is and is not.  Verse seven continues with the words: "(Love) always hopes, always perseveres." Finally verse eight says: "Love never fails."

Love is not a cage that cuts us off from others. If we loose hope, our connection to others will suffer. If we can't persevere when our relationships are challenged, it's not love. Love is resilient. I think this resilience can best be described in the following anonymous quote regarding endurance: It is the spirit which can bear things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope. It is the quality which keeps a man on his feet with his face to the wind. It is the virtue which can transmute the hardest trial into glory because beyond the pain it sees the goal."

When we go through something unimaginable, we feel cut off, and isolated. This leaves me feeling vulnerable. There will always be someone waiting to exploit that vulnerability.

When that happens there are three things that remain in my control. My ability to love, my ability to trust, and my ability to hope. These treasures are kept safe in the innocence of my inner-child.

When others lie to us, by drawing us out with greed for more, and we find ourselves trapped inside the three forces of Fear, Obligation, and Guilt, we need to remember one thing. This is an acronym that spells FOG.

All this time your own perception persuaded you to believe that you saw a storm. You just couldn't see it was only FOG. Once you removed Greed from the equation, it all begins to clear.

Why would FOG look like a storm? I suppose you would need to lie down on the ground to get that perception.

When I was young I loved to walk through the fog. I would use my imagination to pretend I was painting the scene before me as it gradually came into view. All I had to do was keep walking forward. I wasn't afraid because I couldn't see what was coming.

Now, as an adult driving on the freeway, I find fog a bit more unnerving. Sometimes it's best to slow down. I must remember there are others on the road as well. It's not just about me. It's about all of us. I need to remember that the FOG may be obscuring their vision as well. I can't take it personally if from time to time I experience a near miss, or even a full blown collision. Of course the authorities will always want someone to blame. We may too, but in the end, keeping everyone safe should remain the priority.

Acting like I was the only one on the road further contributed to the problem. In addition, greed for getting where I wanted to go blinded me to seeing the other drivers. Things were definitely simpler when I was a child.

Does this mean that fear, obligation, or guilt, are bad for us? No. Individually, they are useful tools. None of the twelve steps are actually bad, or good, but they can be exploited by unethical people who are blinded by greed for power.

We may have wasted many years pursuing pleasure by robbing it from others in violation of the tenth of the Ten Commandments. In fact many modern monetary systems are based on violating this age old standard. The word often used focuses on gaining capital, but it is fueled by the desire for more of what others have. It might be more accurately called Covet-all-ism.

This is an emotionally complex topic in today's politically divided world. Many have demonized the communistic or socialist alternative. I'm not here to take sides. All I can say is: This isn't about good and evil. It never has been. It's about all of us.

Throughout history the creature has manifested in the form of power hungry tyrants driven by narcissistic tendencies. No political ideology has proved immune to its influence. World conquest has been the result, but is there a greater conquest that everyone may have missed? Let's see on the next page.