In the natural world, predator versus prey is the law of the land. While human beings have no predators per se, we are subconsciously divided up. Probably most of us, at one time or another has fallen prey to a scammer, or knows someone who has. We live in a world of predators of our own kind. The scam artists, deceivers, and thieves were once prevalent in large cities. It was easier for them to remain obscure within a larger population, but not so much in a small town where everybody knows everybody. Today, the boundaries are no longer physical. The perpetrators lie in wait in your computer screen and they can be found everywhere.
With the advent of technology, no one is safe. Our children are not safe. Our elderly parents are not safe. We are not safe. We have been brought up in a faery tale, believing that if we are good, law abiding citizens, we will be rewarded with protection from the evil that prevails. However; our innocence will not keep us protected us from the hackers and scammers and tricksters, but in fact, makes us more vulnerable to the predatory practices that run amok in every corner of the digital world.
The Internet is a marvelous tool for searching, finding, learning, and connection. But, it comes at a price. Even those of us who have shunned this new means of navigating life, are not immune to the many ways in which we are watched, kept track of, and compartmentalized. Cameras are everywhere, surveilling everywhere we go. Our computers and our smart phones, too, keep track of every place we visit, online and physically. If you visit doctors, records are kept about your most intimate details. Your local grocery store tracks your spending. Our fingerprints and driving records are in the system. Our credit scores are maintained. Many have succumbed to the lure of having their DNA tested, to research their ancestry. Once they have your DNA in the database, it is there forever.
If we are not the predator, we are the prey. As prey, we can become the victim. As with all prey in the natural world, we must remain vigilant. We must sharpen our skills at becoming illusive to the many pillaging monsters that lie in wait, to make a meal of us.
