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Worzels World - Listening to the demon

 

One of the most frequently asked questions I get in relation to this column is ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ Over the years I have often fudged the answer, hedged my bets and beaten about the bush. It’s now time to come clean. I will not only answer for myself but will also answer for any and all writers, artists, prophets and politicians throughout history who have ever created anything from an idea. 

In life there are but three wells of inspiration from which men draw. There is God and His heavenly host. There is the devil and his earthbound demons. And there is ourselves. In my own experience the ideas that come from God are, of course, and as we might expect, pretty good ones. The ones that come from the devil are unsurprisingly enough often a lot of fun, good for a laugh, can be highly entertaining but do nobody any real good. Of my three sources the worst is myself. What comes from the self lacks the splendour of God’s often ironic truth and is also devoid of the devils deviant diabolical devices. The brackish well of self contains little more than earthbound reason and uninspiring fact. 

I recently watched a war documentary called ‘Armistice’. It was about aspects of what is known historically and with unacknowledged irony as ‘The Great War’. I fell to reflecting that the entirety of human history is characterised by the persistent pride and ignorance of human beings. It provoked in me a little sadness for my species. Neither dogs nor pigs behave half as badly. It’s one of the primary reasons I don’t subscribe to Mr Darwin’s theory of the ‘Origin of Species’. If we really did evolve from pond scum, and are now no more than upright animals that can use tools and crack jokes, we wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as we are. 

There is an undeniably insidious influence amongst people that promotes dysfunction and failure. Birds and beasts know not the malevolence of man. We get to choose. History is a narrative of God giving good advice to people who persistently refuse to take it. This always ends in grief. Once in a while people repent, start behaving reasonably and things go okay for a while until that much famed ‘human nature’ reasserts itself and it all turns to custard again.

It seems to me that there was some truth in those old cartoons that portrayed a character facing a dilemma. A whispering angel would appear on one shoulder, a persuasive devil on the other. By and large we have collectively and consistently listened to the demon then acted on his advice. 

An ever-repeating cycle in villages, kingdoms, tribes and counties, man’s base motives lead inevitably to destruction. The cycle is similar in appearance and easily recognisable no matter where or when it takes place. The only ones that cannot recognise it are those embroiled in it at the time that are responsible for sowing the seeds of degeneration and dysfunction. The same story is being enacted now on a global scale and we are all embroiled in it. 

When the devil tempted Jesus in the desert do you think he rocked on up Baphomet-style replete with pitchfork and pointy tail? Hell no. The devil creeps almost unnoticed into the minds of men. And many of his suggestions seem reasonable enough at the time. Sadly it has been infrequent that I have responded with ‘get behind me Satan‘. But rather too often, to my own detriment and the detriment of others I have said ’yeah, that’s an interesting idea, I might just give it a go’. 

It is written that the devil can disguise himself as an angel of light and it is often only in hindsight that we identify the prince of darkness for the fallen angel he is. Listening to, and being influenced by, a demon is not a good thing. You will be directed down one if the many wide paths that lead to perdition. Ideas have consequences. Good ideas convey benefits, bad ideas produce victims. Sadly some have welcomed the demon in and handed over the driving wheel. No contract. No deal with the devil. Yet it is the demon piloting the vehicle and taking it where he will. The individual concerned is just going along for the ride.

There are however many twists and turns along the highway. The choice of which road to take still remains with the individual. We can choose to ignore the demon at any time. We are free to forsake the slippery slope for the straight and narrow. Redemption is but an intersection and a right turn away.

 Feedback? Email prof_worzel@hotmail.com

If we really did evolve from pond scum, and are now no more than upright animals that can use tools and crack jokes, we wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as we are.

 
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