Running With The Devil

At the bottom, people fight for everything and anything is worth your life. At the top, in government and business, there are forbidden words for how people get things done: spy, espionage, sabotage. All the masses in between vie for a piece of the pie in some way: backstabbing, theft, sex, deceit, nepotism and favoritism, libel, malice, cheating.

It's a dog eat dog world. Sometimes we have to run with the devil.

What's that mean? How do you run with the devil?

Simply put, running with the devil is when you do bad things with selfish intent. Sometimes we face choices or obstacles that are difficult to solve. So, you take the easy way out. You know it's wrong but you do it anyway. You sell a little bit of your self and your soul to get ahead. It's not quite a full selling out which is why I call it running with devil.

How far can we run with the devil before we've sold out?

There comes a point in time when it all comes to a head; it's ready to burst. There's only so much you can do or take in this world, a limit to everything. Eventually it all catches up with you. You've been running with the devil for a long time now.

The boss finds out you've been taking credit for ideas that aren't your own. Your wife gets a phone call from your recently pregnant girlfriend. The police caught you with a kilo of powder cocaine. You've told a man he's the father of your children. The accountant has caught you stealing money. You violently assaulted an already handcuffed suspect.

And, there's that point. The devil wants his payback and you will pay. He won't run with you anymore. You've got two options: sell your soul or let the devil take that bite.

What if you sell your soul? You come up with the ultimate solution that will in some way preserve your current happiness. What if you let the devil take his bite? You face your demons and you accept whatever fate the future holds.

We all run with the devil in some way. The only issue is how much running can you do before the devil wants a return on his investment.

For those who run hard, keep running hard and good luck.
For those who run medium, let the devil bite and try to be happy.
For those who run soft, play your cards smart and don't push your luck.
For those who don't run at all, I feel sorry for you because you're only lying to yourself.