(no subject)
The Devil is in the details. Ever heard that one before?
God may work in mysterious ways, but the Devil deals in subtleties.
People mistakenly attribute large scale evil to the Devil. Serial killers, genocides, wars. Death and suffering abound in such circumstances, no doubt, but think of the rebound effects: When the bombing stops, peace treaties are signed and another generation learns the misterable truths of war. When the gas chambers were stopped, individual stories of kindness, courage, and pity inspired Who Knows How Many to pledge "Never forget". When the serial killer is caught, mothers hug their children tighter and the community breathes a sigh of relief and reaches out to comfort the victims. Natural disasters and plagues, same thing. When the dead are buried, people are left with two options: jump off a cliff, or suck it up and move on. Relief workers and healers are praised, and humanity rebuilds.
The end results of catastrophes? Unity. Comfort. Inspiration. Hope.
War may be the work of a lesser demon, an imp. But not the Devil. Satan, The Accuser, has been at his game for a long time. War is a blunt instrument. Lucifer causing a war would be like performing open heart surgery with a claw hammer.
The Devil triumphs, not when hope is crushed, but when hope never takes root. The Devil works in all the little corners, in all the little placse where you'd least expect to find so grand a personage as the Prince of Darkness. Inspiring hate and malice is delicate work
The stoplights on 34th street, just before University? There's not more than twenty yards between them, but they're unsynchronized. This means that when you get the green light at the first one, you only have time to go far enough to stop right in front of the next one. The Devil introduces a little more frustration into the world every day, two dozen cars at a time. The drivers, and potentially the passengers, of two dozen cars go about their business a little more pissed off, a little more likely to grouch, to crank. A little more likely to ruin another person's day.
Headaches? That nasty little crotch rash you get from wearing thick pants on a hot day? Ingrown toenails? That's where the Devil is. Irritating one person at a time into becoming a little walking fountain of discontent. Think about it. You've got a headache, you're in a rush to get home. Then you run into the stoplights on 34th. You either a) wait and fume, growing all the more likely to shout at your dog or b) you speed up and cut someone off to make that yellow light. Congrats. If you chose option (b), you've done a little of the Devil's work - because now someone else is going to snap at their fast food cashier.
Squeaking breaks, shoes that don't fit right, ATMs that either reject or eat your card, slow waiters in an empty restaurant - all tools of the Devil.
People like Hitler, Ted Bundy, Jim Jones? Probably just fucking nuts or something, I dunno.
God may work in mysterious ways, but the Devil deals in subtleties.
People mistakenly attribute large scale evil to the Devil. Serial killers, genocides, wars. Death and suffering abound in such circumstances, no doubt, but think of the rebound effects: When the bombing stops, peace treaties are signed and another generation learns the misterable truths of war. When the gas chambers were stopped, individual stories of kindness, courage, and pity inspired Who Knows How Many to pledge "Never forget". When the serial killer is caught, mothers hug their children tighter and the community breathes a sigh of relief and reaches out to comfort the victims. Natural disasters and plagues, same thing. When the dead are buried, people are left with two options: jump off a cliff, or suck it up and move on. Relief workers and healers are praised, and humanity rebuilds.
The end results of catastrophes? Unity. Comfort. Inspiration. Hope.
War may be the work of a lesser demon, an imp. But not the Devil. Satan, The Accuser, has been at his game for a long time. War is a blunt instrument. Lucifer causing a war would be like performing open heart surgery with a claw hammer.
The Devil triumphs, not when hope is crushed, but when hope never takes root. The Devil works in all the little corners, in all the little placse where you'd least expect to find so grand a personage as the Prince of Darkness. Inspiring hate and malice is delicate work
The stoplights on 34th street, just before University? There's not more than twenty yards between them, but they're unsynchronized. This means that when you get the green light at the first one, you only have time to go far enough to stop right in front of the next one. The Devil introduces a little more frustration into the world every day, two dozen cars at a time. The drivers, and potentially the passengers, of two dozen cars go about their business a little more pissed off, a little more likely to grouch, to crank. A little more likely to ruin another person's day.
Headaches? That nasty little crotch rash you get from wearing thick pants on a hot day? Ingrown toenails? That's where the Devil is. Irritating one person at a time into becoming a little walking fountain of discontent. Think about it. You've got a headache, you're in a rush to get home. Then you run into the stoplights on 34th. You either a) wait and fume, growing all the more likely to shout at your dog or b) you speed up and cut someone off to make that yellow light. Congrats. If you chose option (b), you've done a little of the Devil's work - because now someone else is going to snap at their fast food cashier.
Squeaking breaks, shoes that don't fit right, ATMs that either reject or eat your card, slow waiters in an empty restaurant - all tools of the Devil.
People like Hitler, Ted Bundy, Jim Jones? Probably just fucking nuts or something, I dunno.