Beware
The Shadow Walker
There
is not one of us who has not been taken in by a
Shadow Walker.
What
is this thing that causes so much distress in our
lives?
A
Shadow Walker is a person who wears many masks (we
shall use the empirical "he" here; not to
denote gender, but for simplicity).
He
is the person who oozes charm to everyone he meets.
He
offers help and assistance, support, loving
kindness.
He
is the perfect good will ambassador with lofty
ideals, great concern for the welfare of mankind and
a deep belief in the brotherhood of all people.
What
a wonderful person! You get to know him.
You
relax around him, begin to rely upon his word and
his judgment.
You
confide in him about your work, your family life and
the most personal aspects of yourself.
He
is your friend. He would do anything for you.
You
trust him. He is not real.
It
is a mask he wears in public that has nothing to do
with the reality of who he is.
The
Shadow Walker will take all your confidences and use
them against you.
He
begins to gossip about you.
He
twists your words to use to his own best advantage.
He
makes false accusations about you and, because
everyone knows what a wonderful and caring person he
is, he is believed.
He
steals your thoughts, words, and the plans you may
have shared with him, and makes them his own.
He
takes full credit while laughing at you for being a
fool.
You
have been betrayed.
He
takes advantage of every good thing he has learned
about you, and then turns his back on you. He is
finished with you.
You
have nothing more for him to take.
He
moves on to his next mark, oozing charm and self
confidence.
The
Shadow Walker is dangerous.
He
has destroyed marriages, stolen lives,
cost some their jobs, and driven some to violence,
alcoholism, drug abuse, or suicide.
More
often than not, the Shadow Walker is the product of
an environment which battered his own view of
himself until he was convinced that he had no value.
His
self esteem and feelings of personal value and self
worth have been virtually destroyed.
At
some point, he has learned to lie, to steal, to
manipulate and to "con" in order to create
an image of the person he considers successful.
He
does this by absorbing the heart, spirit and essence
of those he admires but can never be.
Nothing
is beyond him, and nothing is sacred to him.
He
has learned how to create the mask that will give
him access to people he considers valuable to him.
He
actively searches them out.
He
uses them up and throws them away.
How
do you fight a Shadow Walker?
You
can't.
Once
you have been chosen as his mark, everything you do
will be used against you.
If
you speak out against him, you will only arouse
sympathy in others for him.
If
you try to fight him, they will defend him.
He
is a master at his game, and you don't even know the
rules.
The
natural reaction is to strike back in anger and
righteous indignation.
The
need for revenge is strong.
You
have been betrayed at every level of your being,
and the hurt you feel is intense.
Sometimes,
a financial loss may also be involved.
If
there is legal action you can take, then take it and
leave the details of the battle to others.
I
have worked with many people who have suffered at
the hands of such deceivers.
The
only way to effectively deal with a Shadow Walker is
to distance yourself, cut your losses, learn your
lesson, and walk away.
Rebuild
your own dignity and value as a human being.
Don't
allow your feelings against the Shadow Walker to
alter your dealings with other honorable and ethical
people.
Control
the impulse to be overly suspicious and distrustful
of everyone.
It's
a natural survival instinct after such an
experience, but remember what life was like before
the Shadow Walker.
You
are a good and honorable person.
This
is the belief and attitude that will carry you
through the ordeal.
Be
strong, for you walk in the light.
Author
Unknown,
sent
by a friend to Chief
Stone Bear 09-07-2008
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