Devil in the Details
David L. Katz, MD, MPH
CMO, Tangelo. Founder: Diet ID; True Health Initiative. Founding Director, Yale-Griffin PRC (1998-2019). Health Journalist. COVID Curmudgeon
Wouldn’t the Devil you loathe and fear appear disguised, deceive, and evoke your sympathy?
Wouldn’t the Devil you believe in and shun, attract rather than repulse you? Wouldn’t he assuage you to his side of every argument? Wouldn’t he make you love him, and hate those who called him out for the hate he sowed, and the evil he did?
Wouldn’t he make contemptuous disregard for the fate of nature, the jewels and wonders of all creation, seem righteous? Wouldn’t he make divisiveness look decent, greed- august? Would he not make the costs of his actions in discord, despair, and disgust; alienation and extinction; fire and flood- seem a small price to pay for the comforts of his seductive company?
Would he not turn brother against brother, and yet make them blame each other, or their sister- or you? Or blame anyone with skin of differing pigment, eyes of differing shape, birth of differing origin- just not him, never him?
Would he not subordinate the future to his litany of fleeting lusts? Would he not bully, berate, abuse, and intimidate - yet be inscrutably forgiven by those who preach charity and peace? Would he not be spiteful and vengeful and vindictive, and distort the hearts of his disciples to forgive, and love, and show mercy for his every merciless act?
Would he not spend the potentials of children and generations on his immediate indulgence?
Would he not sow shame and taint and stain, yet be shameless? Would he not be culpable, yet deflect and disperse blame?
Would not every detail propagated tell of the ravaging, rapacious blight of him - in a fine print to which his adherents are made blind by his very shadow?
Would he not tempt you to hate me for seeing what he is, and tempt me to hate you for failing to see?
Devilry is ever in the details. Let’s look together.
The devil we recognize, know, loathe- holds little power over us. The devil who dupes us into loving him by hating one another molds our common fate, holds our collective, mortal peril in his hands.
Is there any hope for us to see by common light?
Just such details- are the narrative of now.
We, together or parted, will decide its epitaph.
-fin
Dr. David L. Katz - son, brother, husband, father, human
The Devil, make no mistake about it, has an ultimate goal. He isnt a man, but he wants you to die without a relationship with Christ. That's his endgame, but we have a choice on how our story end....
Accomplished - Connected - Balanced
5 年Any source that dupes into loving it by hating another will lead us to a path of destruction, divisiveness, and dehumanization.? It also has the effect of shutting down dialogue and raising defensiveness.? Thanks for sharing deeply personal thoughts.? I interpret them to apply to any side of any issue. ?
Mentor HEC Lausanne - Faculté des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de l'Université de Lausanne
5 年C'est tout de même surprenant de voir comment les USA sont sous pression, depuis l'Europe géographique nous sommes plusieurs à nous poser des questions en cette période électorale qui s'approche à grands pas pour la 1ère puissance économique mondiale ! C'est tout de même un sujet perplexe et complexe que nous ne vivons pas comme les Amércain-e-s mais qui a des retombées socio-économique surtout pour l'UE. Pour mon petit pays qu'est la Suisse, les USA ne sont pas dans plusieurs domaines notre partenaire principal mais tout de même, c'est étrange ! AG
Delaware Veteran’s Home
5 年There is no devil.