Maybe it's the book "Snakes in Suits" that I am reading (it's a book about psychopaths in the workplace and the absolute havoc they can spread around offices and worksites ...), or maybe it is just looking back on 2006 and wondering about the broken promises that were so flippantly offered by so-called friends in my life ... but whatever the motivation, I'm sitting here tonight thinking about how often we hear someone come to us with a tale of woe (particularly to those of us in ministry), and offer us a line that is akin to Wimpy whining - "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today ..."
Without getting into specifics, I can think of one shining example where not only I as an individual, but an entire community got sucked in my a Wimpy in our midst ... The call for help was stretched out over many weeks and months, and as things unfolded the cry became shriller and more desperate. Until finally help was offered with the promise to "pay you Tuesday for the hamburger today ..." Now, it is many Tuesday's later and the repayment has never come ...
Realistically, I doubt this Wimpy will ever fulfill the promises that were made ... my reading of Snakes in Suits has caused me chills when I consider the eerie similarities between the behaviour of the Wimpy in question and the descriptions in the book ... More than once I have thought - "Hmmm ... could be ...."
The problem underlying all of this, is that in the Popeye cartoons and comics, no one took Wimpy's repayment seriously, and he bumbled along. But in the case I can recall, the Wimpy was not only taken seriously, they also did their best to manipulate people and disrupt and I would dare to say destroy reputations and relationships along with the never to be honoured promises ...
At the end of the day, in Popeye's world Wimpy got his burger, and every one moved forward unaffected. At the end of the day in the real world, Wimpy skipped the burger, pocketed some serious change and left many people hurt, devestated, disillusioned, and in at least one case, burdened with enormous legal bills ...
Nice ... all because they couldn't deal with the reality of their own lives ... And the most frightening thing of all is - this is NOT a unique situation. It happens more than we realize ... I just hope that it never happens to me again, and I hope it never happens to you ...
The cartoon Wimpy was kind of a lovable soul. He bumbled along and used his charm and child-like wit to win people over. The real life Wimpy's have no such lovable soul. They are deceptive, manipulative, and as the book Snakes in Suits points out so well - THEY are looking out only for their own selfish interests and will do anything necessary to achieve thier goal.
Lying, betrayal, deception, manipulation, exaggeration and thievery are words that pop up in Babiak and Hare's work ... It is truly frightening to consider what some people are capable of. There is no mirth when a real life Wimpy steps up and charms his/her way into your world with a line akin to "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today ..."
Like the old adage says - "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." my personal learning is simply - I won't let you fool me again ...
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