Hmmm, how should we respond to the spiteful actions of those unrepentant opportunists who use technology to operate in the legal loopholes of the law? Fight back? Beat them at their own game? Develop a protective armor of distrust? Or, perhaps, always expect the worst so we’re never caught unprepared?
I’ve pondered this issue once before in these pages. It confronts me again as my computer’s hard drive returns to me wiped cleared after another “malware” infection. Fortunately, I’ve learned from bitter experience. All my files are backed up on an external drive.
I must admit that my initial reaction to this latest episode was righteous indignation expressed in an outburst of my full repertoire of four letter words. That response blew off some steam but did little to help me with the feeling of having been exploited.
A few days have past and I’m now able to dispassionately dig a little deeper into this perplexing issue. Technology, of course, is the enabler. It has unwittingly opened the door to new forms of deviant behaviour: viruses and malware, fraudulent online credit card charges, bogus e-mail appeals and identity theft.
The common thread running through all of them is the attempt to extract one’s livelihood at the expense of others. They are largely anonymous attacks which can’t easily be traced back to the perpetrator and therefore leave us feeling helpless to gain retribution.
But it seems to me that there is a deeper current which we must understand. Isn’t it really about power – or, more accurately, the false perception of it? These shadow dwelling conmen have a deviant need for it. They have to get the better of us in order to feel good about themselves.
This insight is quite liberating for me. It lifts me above the anger and frustration to a higher elevation where I can recalibrate my reaction. From this new perspective, I realize that I have several blessings which these shadow dwellers will never possess.
I don’t need to outwit the person next to me to bolster my fragile self-esteem. I know what my gifts are and I use them to earn my living and, where possible, to help others. In short, I have self-respect and I sleep soundly in the knowledge of it. The shadow dwellers, I suspect, lie awake at night thinking up new schemes to perpetrate.
I’ve made my share of mistakes and miscalculations along the way. But I’m able to enjoy life as it happens because these misjudgments were honestly made and I have learned from them. The shadow dwellers must be constantly looking over their shoulder for the justice train that is following their trail of misdeeds and forever nipping at their heels.
And finally, I have friends whose respect and support I have earned. I can turn to these friends for help when my life gets off the rails now and then. The shadow dwellers have no more than comrades-in-arms who will help only as long as it serves their self-interest. In other words, they have no real friends at all.
In the revealing light of day, we all have metaphorical shadows of our own making that trail our footsteps. My shadows are benevolent – reminding me where I’ve been and pointing to where I need to go. The shadow dwellers have malevolent shadows forever haunting them – faceless phantoms muttering: What goes around, comes around.
I may have a few less dollars in my bank account because of the shadow dwellers. But it’s a small price to pay to be on good terms with my shadow.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: malware · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · shadows · technology · what goes around comes aroundNo Comments