Chameleons

The longer we live, the more likely we will encounter a human chameleon. The very best con artists fall in this category. They can be anything/anyone they need to be to accomplish their goal.

Not all chameleons are professional con artists. In fact... most are not. Most are in the populations surrounding us. They're the men who seem to always get the girl, regardless of their colorless personalities and low social status. They're the extremely successful salesmen. They're the charismatic preachers. Nearly always, pedophiles and gigolos are in this category.

Unfortunately, they do untold harm before they're  unmasked. They're the ones whose neighbors later declare they were such nice quiet men (or women). So friendly and helpful. Usually, they are unmasked by sheer accident.

Once revealed, their victims may even deny the truth because they're unable to accept they were deceived so thoroughly. But if they finally accept the full extent of the deception, they may never trust again.

In my lifetime, I've known two or three exceptional chameleons. Even when you know a partial bit of how they work, even when you know what they are capable of, it's hard to believe, hard to accept in your heart what you know in your head. They're that good.

How do you deal with a chameleon?

Automatically assume every word, every bit of body language, every gesture is a lie. No exceptions. No action is  not calculated. Every word is planned for effect. There is no truth in a chameleon.

Then watch how rapidly they change their colors...