Vagabond Writers Society Forum Sampson and Delilah

as the biblical story went, Sampson had one weakness - his hair. He fell in love with beautiful Delilah who eventually learned his weakness - she turned him over to her people who ravaged and enslaved him. Eventaully, blind and emotionally broken, Sampson takes his own life while he gains his revenge.

There are many topics in this tale worth exploring. I say betrayal is up for grabs.

Why do people betray?
Why do people betray those that they love?
Delilah's motive for betrayal is fairly clear but is there anything that could drive you to betray someone else? Could you betray someone you love - family? Friend? Lover?

What say you?

Why do people betray? Why do people betray those that they love?


I've often wondered about this very topic as it seems to be a reoccuring theme in the world today. Loyalty seems to come with a price and there's always someone willing to pay more for it. I don't just mean monetary compensation, but sexual, social advancement, arising opportunities... That's not to say everyone who has commited betrayal does it out of greed; sometimes it seems that some people believe that it's their only option. To hell with going down with the ship; I'm going to cut a deal to guarantee that I come out pretty good. Sometimes it depends on what factor has more of your loyalty. For example, you have two friends who have taken opposite sides of a personal dilemma. Use your imagination to decide what the dilemma is. They both state good cases, but you choose the side of your closest friend because you've known him longer and he's been there when you needed it. You operate on the basis of the "what's in it for me" ideal. I'll talk more on betrayal of loved ones after I see what everyone else has to say.


Delilah's motive for betrayal is fairly clear but is there anything that could drive you to betray someone else? Could you betray someone you love - family? Friend? Lover?

In a perfect world I could say no and ideally I would love to, but I can't say that I wouldn't betray someone. I don't give a damn about social status or anyone offering me money. Let me clarify that this is not out of disdain for cash, but more of a distrust of someone's intentions when they make offers like that. Instead, I would no longer remain loyal to someone who I feel has betrayed me as well. I hold grudges and I believe in vendettas though I know it's the christian thing to forgive and move on. It's unlikely that I'd betray friends and close family, but this is America... who can say.



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Thanks Drifter - I think you make some fine points. I like that you explore the thought that it isn't always greed. One of the things I think about in discussing betrayal is the fundamental flaw in human nature - greed for money and greed for power. Self preservation is an instinct, but do people use self preservation as an excuse "to cut their losses" too soon or at the expense of others? anwyay, communism was always doomed to failure because it failed to account for the great human weakness of greed for power and money. Other reasons had to do with economics, but by and large the powerful elite maintained a greed for power that drove things to more of autocracy than a communistic state. So, my point is - are humans being fudamentally flawed when it comes to greed and power and is that what leads to betrayal.

ON the other side - why do we allow ourselves to be duped? Are we that weak or trusting or blinded by love that we can't see it coming - is there a character weakness in humans that in love and trust our self preservation mechanisms shut off?

Or, perhaps it is just late and I am simply rambling nonsense.

It might be that humanity as a whole wants to believe in the idea that all people are basically good at heart. We are blinded by the notion that "okay it's bad right now, but it's going to get better". Perhaps that's why the glass-is-half-full mentality often bites people in the a*s. Whether it is a flaw or something to be admired, I really don't know. What I do know is people are often blinded by their own emotions and desires to fully see the entire situation before it's too late.