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The True Citizen, Wednesday, January 13, 2021 — Page 5
Michael N. Searles
To dance with the devil is
to engage in risky, reckless, or
potentially immoral behavior.
Yet, what if you think your
dance partner is just a normal
person. In most cases, the
“devil” is mostly or partly
hidden and the other person
is taken by surprise that he or
she discovers that the person is
not normal. There is a Match,
com commercial where the
devil—Satan is in clear view.
The dramatization begins with
Satan waiting in Hell for a suit
able companion. His phone
lights up with a message: You
have a match. When Satan and
his perfect match meet, she
addresses him as Satan and he
calls her Two zero - Two zero.
She says call me 2020. 2020
is a pretty young woman who
sees Satan as the “man—crea
ture” of her dreams. She asks,
where is he from and he says
with a thunderbolt —“Hell”
and her response is “Me too.”
They enjoy walks, picnics with
Satan devouring hot peppers,
exercising in a gym closed by
the coronavirus, eating pop
corn in an empty movie theater,
and stealing toilet paper. The
commercial ends with Satan
and 2020 embracing and Satan
saying, “I just don’t want this
year to end.”
If life were just that simple,
most folks could avoid getting
anywhere near the devil. The
idea of dancing with the devil,
however, is alluring. Several
artists have written, sung, or
rapped lyrics that suggest the
high price of dancing with the
devil. “Life’s too short to be
dancing with the Devil; Life’s
too short to be dancing with
the Devil. You best sleep with
a blanket and a shovel; ‘Cause
life’s too short to be dancing
with the Devil.”
A number of political figures
wished they had heeded those
words. An up and coming
politician even before he tossed
his hat in the ring claimed that
the sitting President was not
bom in the United States and
therefore was illegitimately
elected to office. This should
have been a warning or “red
light” that this person should
be avoided. However, a sitting
DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
senator was the first elected
official to throw his support
for this newcomer, and even
wore a MAGA hat at his po
litical rally. This senator was
later rewarded with being ap
pointed U.S. Attorney General.
There the former senator did
the bidding of his Benefactor
even as critics complained.
The one thing that the AG did
wrong was to recuse himself
in a matter in which he had
engaged before taking the AG
office. The Benefactor was
very angry and every time
he could, he said disparaging
words about the AG. Finally,
he bred the AG forcing him
to return home as a defeated
and dejected man. The former
Senator and AG then saw an
opportunity to get his former
office back. He could mn for
the Senate and regain the seat
he left to join the Benefactor’s
administration. He always said
nice things about his Benefac
tor as he ran in the primary
and always seem to give him
his full support. However, the
Benefactor was still angry and
openly supported his opponent
who had few qualifications for
the job. In the end, the man
who first came out and gave
his full throated support to the
Benefactor, accepted the AG’s
position and did everything he
could to assist the Benefactor
in achieving his objectives, was
abandoned and discarded. The
former Senator and AG who
spent nearly 40 years in public
service was forced to leave the
political arena without fanfare.
There is a lesson in such ac
tions and it may be too glib to
say, “You should have known
better.”
How many people enter
into a relationship that seems
stable and supportive only to
discover down the road what
appeared to be real was pure
fantasy? Anyone with a kind
heart easily could say, “That
could have been me.” I could
have been hooked into believ
ing; I could have accepted that
drag; or I could have taken a
ride with friends who are now
in prison. It apparently is still
easy for someone with few
admirable characteristics to
win the hearts of the people.
In life, not everything is ex
plainable or understandable.
Who would have thought in a
2020 Gallup Poll that Donald
J. Tramp would be the most
admired man in America.
(Reprinted from March
2017.)
Just a few hours ago I had
an epiphany I’m not sure I
wanted to have. Over the last
few years, I’d swear I’ve got
ten wiser, somewhat better at
decision-making and, most im
portantly, tougher. I’ve not had
the easiest adult years, though
I am humble enough to admit
most of the fault there is of my
own doing. Nonetheless, I’ve
always felt an extra bounce in
my step when someone went
Diana Royal
out of their way to say I am
a strong person, and further
more, seeing the attribute in
me was even inspiring. I don’t
take conversations like that
lightly, but I also fail to see
how a 30-something year old
fumbling through life in messy
ponytails and mismatched
socks could be the source of
inspiration. I’ll take it, and I’ll
feel better about myself as I
continue to frolic the crooked
miles of my life.
Today I hit a detour, defi
nitely not my first and assur
edly not my last. But detours
suck. (Can I get an amen?)
There’s all these arrows to fol
low, cones to maneuver. It’s a
game of serious road defense.
You completely lose sight of
where you’re going and what
your destination is because
you get caught up in the un
expected; you’ve gotta watch
for changing lanes and bad
drivers who could potentially
run you off the road, or worse
yet, wreck you.
So there I was, cruising
through my day somewhat
high on life when a stop sign
came out of nowhere and met
my forehead with a hard bop.
Detoured. But where were the
signs? Where were the instruc
tions to help me find my way
again? Picture a held, unkempt
and overgrown. Briars and
waist-high grass. Not a single
insect in sight ’cause even they
know trouble when they see it.
That’s paradise compared to
DETOURS
the detour I encountered.
I realized then I am not
really all that strong - quite
the opposite in fact. I think
my white hag has been in my
back pocket for a while and
that today I threw it on a pile
of dirt, laid my head down and
gave up. Tears spilled over my
cheeks as defeat made itself at
home in my soul. I’d somehow
managed to let another human
being have so much control
over my own emotions that
my disappointment in their ac
tions met me at that stop sign
in the shape of a semi truck,
no brakes and Yosemite Sam
mud haps.
I know I am not alone in
saying that I felt heartbroken.
I don’t know that I know an
other person on this earth who
can say they have never felt
that pain before, for various
reasons. If there exists such a
person, I’d like to know his or
her trick. Then again - do any
of us really want to go through
life not feeling the wavering,
gut-wrenching emotions as
well? I firmly believe those
moments are the ones that
make us appreciate the good.
It doesn’t particularly mat
ter what happened to upset me
because as soon as I was able to
dry my tears and take that deep
breath, I thought about all the
other times I’ve felt heartbro
ken. And I remembered - our
hearts don’t actually break.
They’re more like proverbial
sponges, absorbing the hurts
and turning them into fuel to
keep our motors running. Even
on a detour. Even in a thorny
mess that requires a chainsaw.
Even though I realize I may
not be that tough person I like
to pretend I am at times, I am
okay with that. My little break
down showed me that I still
love big and forgive and I have
empathy, regardless if others
deserve the courtesy or not.
Next time you find your
self detoured, whether you
have giant red flashing lights
saying “this way” or you’re
stuck in the middle of nowhere
surrounded by road kill and
vultures, try to be thankful for
the hiccup. Just imagine all the
roads that detours save us from.
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