their own worst enemies

I've been thinking a lot the last day or two about people who are their own worst enemies. Those who try to hurt others (and sometimes succeed) but who do far more harm to themselves.

Someone (a middle aged adult) who used to be associated with the high school wrestling program a couple of years ago was caught on security videotape doing something rather unpleasant directed at a high school kid this weekend at the high school. He had not gotten along with the boy's father. OK - so why would any true adult do something targeted at a kid to begin with? And why do something bad in a public place with all sorts of security cameras? And why do something rotten to someone who has never done you any harm? For that matter, why do something rotten to anyone anyway? People like that are their own worst enemies. He certainly did not upset or hurt the kid - everyone who knows what happened rallied around the kid. All he managed to do is to make himself look immature and petty and vindictive. And this is from a man who can be truly kind at times. He was his own worst enemy!

Ah well. Human nature is an odd and exotic thing. Filled with paradoxes. Genuinely kind people with cruel streaks, like my former friend. Charming people with stone cold hearts, people who believe in God who drive other people away from God with their hypocrisy and harsh judgments. Spouses who wonder why their partner strays when the husband (or wife) only gets distrust, nagging, and neglect at home - and then the spouse who drove away their mate thinks that they are completely innocent and deserve everything in the bitterly fought divorce. And then they proceed to treat their next partners even worse than the first, with even more distrust and nagging and neglect and now with bitterness thrown in. And then wonder "Why me? Why does this always happen to me?" if that second spouse eventually also throws in the towel. Lord, I know so many women like that. They never even see that they contributed to the problems in their relationships, and so never learn how to treat their new partners better so they will want to stick around. Then there are people who value fear over friendship and insecurity over love. People who run into the supervisor's office at every opportunity to rat out their co-workers, then go ballistic if anyone does the same to them (I work with sooo many people like that!).

All of these people are their own worst enemies, and they wonder why their lives are largely lonely and unhappy and why things and relationships do not go their way...

Now I am depressing myself!

Luckily I know many people who are loving and supportive and generous, and quite wonderful in every way!!! I should think about them now, and cheer myself up!