Predators prey on the weak (the young, the old, and the infirm.) This has been common knowledge since the human race came into existence. But, I am not going to talk about hunters who hunt for trophies. Humans prefer to think of themselves as civilized and domesticated. They do not like to think of themselves as predators. Human predators, at least in our modern world, are rarely driven by hunger. I want to talk instead, about the everyday predator that we encounter through the normal course of our lives. I want to talk about the oligarchs, the hideously wealthy, the greedy, the corporate directors, the bankers, and the landlords in management positions, who revel in executing their assumed power over others.
There are many kinds of predators in our human society. They are not always the rich and powerful. Sometimes they lie at the bottom of the “food chain.” They are actually prey who lash out in anger and who seek revenge – the less educated, the bitter, the rejected, the tormented, the victimized, and the mentally incompetent. They may lie, steal, pillage, rape (sexual predators) and commit whatever crime they falsely believe will improve their chance of happiness.
The prey are often plain, hardworking folk who either cannot, or do not want to imagine a better life for themselves. They live uninspired lives and accept their “lot in life.” Others simply give up, become homeless for the remainder of their pathetic lives, beg on the street, or sell drugs in a world where no one can be trusted.
The dominant predators, the one percent who own most of the world’s wealth, and therefore, most of the world, are never satisfied. They are driven by an insatiable hunger to have more, control more. They are intoxicated with their own power and what they do not take for themselves, they destroy. We are living in a time when the predators themselves are fighting each other. They are driven only by their desire to win. The prey are discarded like chafe from the wheat as the predators cull them, taking only the finest. The prey that remain retreat quietly into a world that does not acknowledge them. Some give up altogether; while others barely survive, either accepting their meager lives, or ending them through suicide.
A very small percentage of prey cling to hope. They dare to envision a better world. They surround themselves in protective light and remain centered in a pool of calm knowing, while other prey is picked off one by one. These few wield a power that is unseen. The predators pass them by, either because they do not see them, or because they are repelled by the light they emit. These prey live in a state of grace regardless of the murderous fighting going on around them. These few will never become victims for they carry their protection like a porcupine carries its quills. They carry love in their hearts. They carry peace in their souls. They are poison to the predators who would dare to eat them.
