Betrayal

I wrote recently about betrayal and the appropriate response to it. I did not talk much about the act of betrayal or its motivating forces in people and that was because I did not feel as though I had much insight into that side of things. Yesterday however, I came across the following in a recent book by Philip Roth that seemed insightful and thought that I would share it with you.



"... and then the torrent of betrayal. Every soul its own betrayal factory. For whatever reason: survival, excitement, advancement, idealism. For the sake of the damage that can be done, the pain that can be inflicted. For the cruelty in it. For the pleasure in it. The pleasure of manifesting one's latent power. The pleasure of dominating others, of destroying people who are your enemies. You're surprising them. Isn't that the pleasure of betrayal? The pleasure of tricking somebody. It's a way to pay people back for a feeling of inferiority they arouse in you, of being put down by them, a feeling of frustration in your relationship with them. Their very existence may be humiliating to you, either because you aren't what they are or because they aren't what you are. And so you give them their comeuppance.

...


Of course there are those who betray because they have no choice.


...

There are even those who have the brilliance of mind to practice the game of betrayal for itself alone. Without any self interest. Purely to entertain themselves."