Parasitism

The Cuckoo bird mother when it is ready to lay her eggs, strategically places them in a nest of a warbler bird. The cuckoo hatches before the other eggs, and quickly massacres them all. The warbler bird parents are then forced to take care of "their" new born as it drives them to near exhaustion and death.

In our lives, we have people that will pose as someone they are not. Acting like one of your own, they will suck out of you all that they need and even take from you things that you hold dear. They drain you of your energy, and once you have nothing left to offer, they will leave you.

I have some really awesome people in my life. Ones that I know will go many extra miles for me. Then, there are others that I took to be my own, but they sat there in disguise as cuckoos. In the guise of one of my own, they take from me what they need. I am the first person they go to if they need something. I have a problem saying no even if I know they are just looking for their own personal gain. Is it not right to help someone if one can? Regardless of the other person's intentions?

I have noticed these cuckoos in my life, whether they consciously or subconsciously do it, but they will act as a totally different person when they are not in need of something. Aloof, distant, cold. The bond is shattered, and it is almost as if there is nothing there. Sure enough when the time comes, it is magically rekindled. A brother of mine whom I was speaking to today said something very profound, I feel like I have a hundred friends when everything is going well, but when its not, I am alone. Is this life, or is this society?

I am always the first person to throw the blame on myself and say that maybe I am just misjudging or taking things too far. I think that I do this to such an extent that I set myself up for further frustration. There are cuckoos in everyone's lives, and there are cuckoos in my life. I think I should shove them out of my nest and stop this parasitism. In the end, not only will it drain me, but they will take away the things that mean most to me, as they too turn their backs and fly away.