Blood Sucker

So each morning I'm finding little things to meditate on and learn, even if it's just for that hour.
This morning the last post snowballed into thinking about the Vampire people around us, which led to me looking up leeches online.
It's really an amazing metaphor. So, here are some facts about leeches:

A leech often literally bleeds its victim dry (most don't feed on humans but on small invertebrates). They attach and consume their victim whole, only detaching when they're full and need to digest. Some leeches consume up to 5 times their body mass, meaning they only need to feed about twice/year. When a leech is sucking the life out of its victim, it secretes an anti-coagulant called hirudin. This means, if it doesn't kill the victim, the wound that's left will bleed more than a normal wound. And, finally, while it's never been proven that leeches can numb their bite, a morphine-like substance has been found in leeches. Here's the thing--it's found in their neural tissues, not in their saliva, and it's used to help their own immune system, not at all used on the victim.

The comparison is almost too on-the-nose, and I know the following is completely anthropomorphic and that a leech is simply acting how a leech is supposed to act. BUT when thinking of how we call people leeches, what we mean is put into further clarity for me.
Leeches are completely and utterly self-concerned, to the extent that they consume their victim whole. They gorge themselves far far far far far (5 times!) beyond what they need, so that they can remain secure for an extended period of time. Not only do they wound to get what they want, but the wound bleeds longer than others because of the method a leech uses to get what it wants. And a leech helps its own defenses and neurological needs rather than imparting any of that to its victim.
A cautionary tale--well demonstrated, God!

I guess I'm left with a few takeaways. One, I needed to get some perspective on this ish because I frequently let people become leeches in my life. But when a character trait is put so starkly, I feel like I understand it better. People who latch on and try to suck you dry not only are entirely self-consumed but they could succeed, and suck you dry, and then assuage their own guilt while they leave you bleeding longer than you normally would. Two, I wonder if a leech knowingly wrongs its victim or if it's pure instinct, no thought beyond the grasp and scrape for survival. If it's the latter, then when you encounter a leech stretching towards you and looking to latch on, the most appropriate response is to run like hell.