There is a little Eliot Spitzer in all of us

If you are looking for a defense for the former Governor read somewhere else. Likewise his colorful partner in crime. No this column is a admission of humanities' dark side.

Whatever we like to think we have a dark side. Every one of us. Most of keep it under control. Either through faith in God or some other force within us. It could be the opposite sex as in Spitzers case. It could be gambling, it could be booze, it could be any substance or activity. That thing we love to do and turn to when we are a little down. Maybe once in a while we like it a little too much. The difference between a junkie and functioning citizen is that the functioning citizen knows how to keep their dark side at bay.

Eliot Spitzer apparently had everything most people could want. Power, good family, more money than anyone could want, but it wasn't enough. I am strangely drawn to this story. While disgusted with the man and the girl, I am curious what makes someone risk everything and I mean everything for something a little dangerous. This can be nothing short of mental illness.

This subject has been the stuff of songs, tragic poems, Greek tragedies, yet we are no closer to understanding it. If we could than maybe we could find a way to avoid it. Maybe the reason is similar to what I write about frequently. As a society we want to find a macro solution. We think a pill or a government program or something can fix these problems. No the problems that people like Eliot Spitzer have are personal and I expect lonely. I expect he carries with him a lonely secret deep inside him. A void that has not be filled with traditional means. That void can only be filled with the dark side of his being. The problem is, as usual when you fill up on the dark side it is hollow. It is filled for the moment, but when it is over you are more empty than before. You need to fill up on goodness. This is not a piece about faith but for me, god and family are the only way to keep my own dark side at bay. For his own sake I pray that Mr. Spitzer can find a way to keep his dark side at bay. I hope for the same thing for his prostitute as well. Only the dark side of human beings could send someone into the field she has chosen. Mostly I pray that we all find a way to control our own dark side.