Leech: Sucking the life out of you<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): No matter where you go in life there are
\nleeches. Not the parasite that lives in muddy waters. The type of
\nbloodsucker I'm referring to is the one we come into contact with
\non a daily basis: leechoros humongous or the human variety.<\/p>\n
They exist on the goodwill of others, never thinking for a
\nmoment they are causing all manner of misery.<\/p>\n
You know the person who goes to restaurants with others and
\nafter drinking a bottle of wine says they only had two glasses.
\nThe person who just orders a salad and then proceeds to trough
\neveryone else's food. Or the person who flees for the bathroom
\nanytime a bill arrives.<\/p>\n
It's never clear when you first meet one that they are of the
\nfree-loading variety. Just like the jungle parasites, it takes a
\nwhile before you feel the bite, and by then they're almost
\nimpossible to get rid of.<\/p>\n
Go to the holiday island of Bali, a friend says, and you will
\nsee many leeches on the beaches. They take the form of the Bali
\nBeach Boy whose mission in life is to dry up food, money and
\nanything else that's going, she said.<\/p>\n
Some years ago, I had the misfortune of working with a leech
\nwho stuck to me from the word go. He immediately supposed we
\nwould be the best of friends. It got so bad that at lunchtimes I
\nwas forced to hide in the office, dreading another hour of
\nleeching.<\/p>\n
His idea of our supposed friendship was not founded on typical
\nfriendship values. Everything was purely for his gain. In
\nrestaurants, bars and clubs, it was I who was left to pick up the
\ntab. In taxis he suddenly had no change. Nobody minds paying for
\nothers on occasion, except when it happens all the time.<\/p>\n
Meeting this fellow at London's Heathrow Airport one cold
\nJanuary morning, I told him my New Year's resolution was not to
\naide or abet him in any form over the coming year. Five minutes
\nlater saw the end of that resolve when he informed me that he
\nhadn't changed any of his cash into sterling and asked me for
\ntaxi money.<\/p>\n
Under my tutelage, however, he gradually came to the
\nunderstanding that he couldn't continue his sponging habits. He's
\ngotten over it to some extent, even if he does carry a pocket
\ncalculator to figure what he owes on restaurant bills, even down
\nto his share of the service charge.<\/p>\n
Then there was another colleague (different firm) who was the
\nepitome of a leech. In the year I knew and worked with her she
\nnever once paid for taxis she shared with me or other friends. It
\nbecame a joke among colleagues that each time the cab arrived at
\nits destination the first thing we would hear was: \"I don't seem
\nto have any change\".<\/p>\n
Frequently she would leave bars without paying for her drinks,
\nleaving others to foot the bill.<\/p>\n
And worse luck, she happened to be holed-up in a house in
\nNorth Jakarta with me and some friends during the May 1998 riots.
\nThe day the riots broke out, a friend and I went to the only open
\nsupermarket we could find and bought what little food was left.<\/p>\n
When we arrived back at the house, we informed the leech that
\nthere was no more food available for a few days, so she could
\nshare what we had purchased. No sooner uttered, than she began
\nplowing her way through the purchases. Soon there was nothing
\nleft, and for a few days we had to content ourselves with pot
\nnoodles and whiskey while she made mouthwatering dishes just for
\nherself.<\/p>\n
But leeches do not limit their sponging only to pecuniary
\nmatters. There is also the emotional leech.<\/p>\n
These people manipulate or create emotions on which they
\nthrive. They just love crises and conflicts. If they see a chink
\nin someone's armor they go straight for it and jam it open
\nbecause they don't make friends easily. They ensure that with the
\nfew friends they do have that there is a common enemy. They milk
\nsituations for all they are worth and constantly drive wedges
\nbetween relationships.<\/p>\n
Why do we put up with people such as this? Why are we so
\npolite when others are not? And why are those who are rude and
\nwhose manners are from the dark ages so unaware of their
\nshortcomings.<\/p>\n
One day I decided to take the bull by the horns and informed
\nthe above leech of her shortcomings. She altogether flipped,
\naccusing me of being a stingy, cold-hearted individual.<\/p>\n
This is always the case with parasites. Like alcoholics, they
\nnever admit to having a problem and always turn it on its head to
\naccuse the accuser of having the problem. Reason has no place
\nwith these people. They think the world owes them a living.<\/p>\n
If there is one thing leeches are good at it's assessing their
\nnet worth and whether others should pay up. They generally tend
\nto have rather high opinions, thinking themselves superior to
\nothers. Normal people don't behave like the Queen of England, nor
\nwould they want to, but to these leeches such behavior is their
\nbirthright.<\/p>\n
It's just about bearable if a colleague or \"friend\" is a
\nleech, but what if you are in a relationship or are even married
\nto one?<\/p>\n
A friend is in this situation. A beautiful, smart, savvy young
\nwoman, she allows a bloodsucker to take her for everything she
\npossesses. As she works all the hours God sends, he rests at home
\ndrinking beer, watching porno flicks, spending her cash and
\nsleeping with as many other women as possible. He has no
\nintention of ever working as life is served up to him by his
\nwife. Friends mutter behind her back that she is nuts to have
\nmarried this sloth as he is literally sucking the blood out of
\nher.<\/p>\n
What leads people to act like this? It doesn't come down to
\nmoney as these people tend to save most of theirs and frequently
\nhave more than others. Perhaps it's to do with their upbringing.
\nPossibly their parents didn't provide all they wanted, leaving
\nthem to evolve into free-loaders. Or it may be because they think
\npeople are incontrovertible suckers and why not take what they
\ncan get anyway.<\/p>\n
As with the jungle bleeders, take a flame to this lot and burn
\nthem off.<\/p>\n
-- William Furney<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/leech-sucking-the-life-out-of-you-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }