At some point in our lives everyone experiences this phenomena: People who act like friends, like someone interested in the same goal or hobby or profession as you, someone who wants to spend time with you and be close to you. And those things are all true and they walk their talk. So what’s the issue? The issue is the underlying agenda or the “why?” of it all. While some people are up front and open about their reasoning, there’s a reason why we call them “a breath of fresh air”. Most people aren’t.
Everyone wears masks and most of them are benign: friendship mask, coworker mask, significant other mask, parent mask, etc, etc, etc. This is how we live our lives in an interrelational world at best and in which we are over stimulated and not encouraged to know who we really are. However, what is under the mask can be an unpleasant surprise. Some people are werewolves. They are interested in an end goal of their own choosing and being connected to you is not an end in and of itself, but a means to their goal. They will use you for whatever they need and then move on. They can seem like the most amazing people, talented, intelligent, loving and giving, but that only lasts if you don’t give them close scrutiny. If you push to get close to them you begin to see them for who they really are, wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Actions actually do speak louder than words and if someone keeps you at arms length while trying to become your close friend, take that as a warning sign. Interconnectedness requires equal parts of connection between the two of you. Which is why caring for a child is just that, caring, as they do not yet have masks and give 100% of themselves to every endeavor they take on. It’s our responsibility to keep them safe and to manage the connection. And to keep them safe from werewolves in their lives, even young ones, so that they only time they have to really care about them is in scary movies and on Halloween.
