We never know there's a problem, because it's always the last thing on your mind. We just continue on with our lives, as if nothing is wrong.
But ignoring it doesn't make the problem go away; it just grows and spreads, without your awareness, feeding on our lifeblood.
It hides, only showing itself in the dark places, attracted to our waste; and that's what ends up bringing the problem out into the open.
By the time we realize there's a problem, we're covered in the evidence of it, and we can't ignore it anymore. Neither can anyone else we come in contact with.
When we finally take stock of the problem, we'll see it everywhere, with eyes now drawn to all its evidences.
We realize that it has infiltrated so much, that it weaves and crawls, in and out, sneaking into the seams of the very fabric we rest on.
There's no way to tackle the problem discreetly; once the problem is known, it must be addressed head on, full force.
The only thing that gets rid of the problem is prolonged, extreme heat; sending the infestation out of hiding, seeking refuge in our darkness, only to be burned alive upon exposure to the searing heat.
Everything has to be cleaned, individually assessed, to ensure the infestation can't spread.
The process is time consuming, tedious, and painfully humbling in the attention it brings. All our dirty laundry is left out for all to see as we break it all down and clean it all, piece by piece.
The cleansing takes time; time that could be spent on better things in our lives, or so we think. But we'll only continue to ignore the problem if we don't address it thoroughly, in it's entirety.
Once we admit the issues brought on by this infestation; the causes, the continuation, and the alleviation; our entire life is different.
Because of the effort it took to clear it, we've become vigilant and aware of it's presence.
Determined never to have to deal with this again, every preventative measure is taken to make sure we're not re-infested. One of the by-products of this vigilance is the awareness of the infestations in the lives of others.
It seems like never ending work, because the infestation is everywhere. We are soon able to tell if others are willing to recognize and admit their own infestation.
If not, well, they'll just have to learn the hard way.
Like we did.
