Okay, let’s talk about this idea of ‘diabolic influence’. Sounds heavy, right? Like something out of a movie. But I went through something a while back that made me think about it differently. Not demons with horns, but something much more… normal, and maybe scarier because of it.
It started with a project. I was working with this guy, let’s call him Alex. Super charming at first. Always seemed to agree, always supportive. We were supposed to be partners on this thing, 50/50.
Getting Started – The Setup
So, we kicked things off. I dove into the main work, the hard stuff, because I actually enjoy that part. Alex said he’d handle the ‘people side’ and the ‘strategy’. Sounded fair enough. I’d send him updates, detailed stuff. He’d reply with thumbs-ups, “Great job!” type messages. Easy.
The Subtle Shift
After a few weeks, I started noticing little things. Small stuff.
- He’d present my ideas in meetings, but phrase them just slightly differently, making them sound like his insights.
- When problems came up, suddenly he was ‘just the strategist’ and the technical issues were ‘really my area’.
- He started having quiet chats with management that I wasn’t part of. Said he was “smoothing the way” for us.
I felt… weird. Like I was working hard, but somehow becoming invisible. It wasn’t outright conflict. It was slippery. If I tried to pin it down, he’d act confused, hurt even. Said I was being sensitive or mistrustful. Classic gaslighting, I see that now.
The ‘Practice’ – Paying Attention
This feeling kept nagging at me. So, I started keeping notes. Not accusations, just facts. What was agreed? What did I do? What did he do? What was the outcome? It was like tuning a radio, trying to find a clear signal through static.
I observed him more closely. How he talked to people. He had this way of making you feel special, like you were in on a secret with him, while subtly isolating you from others. He’d praise you to your face but downplay your contributions behind your back. Always with a plausible reason, of course. “Didn’t want to bore them with the details,” or “Just giving the high-level overview.”
Understanding the Psychology
It wasn’t about devils or magic. It was about control and ego. He needed to be seen as the essential one, the mastermind. My work was just fuel for his image. The ‘influence’ was psychological. He created a narrative, and he was very good at it.
- He exploited trust.
- He used charm as a weapon.
- He subtly distorted communication.
- He made me doubt my own perceptions.
That’s the ‘diabolic’ part, I guess. It’s insidious. It eats away at you slowly, makes you feel crazy. It’s not a dramatic attack; it’s a quiet poisoning of the well.
The Outcome
Eventually, the project finished. He got a promotion. I got… experience. And a hard lesson. I realized this kind of influence isn’t rare. It’s in offices, families, friendships. People who manipulate situations and perceptions for their own gain, often leaving others confused and drained.
So, my ‘practice’ was learning to see past the surface. To trust my gut when something feels off, even if I can’t immediately explain why. To document things. And to understand that sometimes, the most ‘diabolic’ things are just plain old human selfishness dressed up in charm.
