Guile

About forty years ago, I met this guy who was completely free of guile. He did not have those kinds of bones in his body at all. He was unable to trick people in order to take advantage of them. He was invariably kind, never harsh to anyone, always expecting the best from people.

Riding right alongside this was, I hate to say it, but a semblance of stupidity or simplicity. For example, he arranged for a public television interview with me in Wichita. I was supposed to meet up with him there, but he was unable to direct me to the location. I ended up running around in a panic, trying to find that place in those pre-cellphone times. I scraped in, flustered, at the last minute.

He was married to a wonderful woman. Clearly, she was going to be the one who paid the mortgage and got the kids registered for everything and made the decisions. He would do what he did best, but none of that could be called “practical”.

I puzzled about this guy. And then it occurred to me. He was an angel. He was the one put there to test me, to see if I recognized purity, and goodness and a complete lack of guile. He was the stranger, who I could mistreat, or disparage or alternatively, respect and assist. Realizing he was an angel changed my whole attitude. I grew patient with him. I strove harder to understand him. I worked to assist him as I could see his good intentions.

Guile, means to use deceit or craftiness or insidious cunning to get what you want from others.

I don’t think we are born with this trait. I don’t remember any insidiously cunning babies. They cry when they need something, because they are only able to cry when they need something. They don’t seem to be scheming how to get their hands on more breast milk than they deserve.

So, may I say here, long before I realized my friend was an angel, I had known other angels, though they had been very young. And with babies and young children, we show patience. Maybe feign interest in their day, when other things are weighing heavy on our minds. And when practicing our best angel hosting, we respect them as yet-developing people who deserve to not be diminished in any way, but especially because of their lack of knowledge about the way the world works.

But then, there are the users of guile.

Is it too much to tag them with the name “predator”, albeit of the non-violent persuasion? Shamelessly tricking others for personal gain. Stealing candy from babies. Fooling their colleagues and clients and friends and spouses. Trying to avoid the label, but addicted to the spoils. Taking as allies, those like themselves.

Beyond them even, there are those who are just unapologetic predators. I guess they really have no need for guile. They just take and revel in their reputation for doing so. They cultivate an aura of fearsomeness. They want us to think their shamelessness is a sign of superiority-testosterone driven, if you will. They crow. They are triumphant. They find angels laughable in their impotence, even if the angels are just babies.

And where should a government come down between these disparate moral philosophies?

Is a government’s purpose to celebrate the lethality of its military, the ability to force allies to bend a knee to us? Have we joined together and met in congress merely to hide the real purpose of proposed bills and legislation, calling it something benign or positive, when it’s intention or purpose is to trick or despoil? I am tired of state attorney generals claiming some high ground, while barely concealing some laughably twisted moral purpose. Do our courts exist to reinforce the will of those embracing autocracy and the obscenely wealthy, while implausibly tying it to some falsified interpretation of the constitution or the founders’ intent?

Or is the purpose of government to protect those without guile - the babies, the innocent, the kind, the open-hearted, the generous, the honest? Are we here to nurture them, whoever they may be? Do we recognize these angels when we meet one? Do we do right by them? Are we here to make the world a safer, healthier place for all, or to assist those who just want it all?

If we keep our eyes open for angels, we will recognize them, though those who are guileless are rare. But the more we come to know the guileless , the easier it will be to identify the predators.

And look forward to a day when we are governed by those without guile.