These men [scheming sinners] lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!  Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it (Proverbs 1:18-19).

Bugs Bunny always brutalized Yosemite Sam, and we always enjoyed it.  Kevin McCallister, stuck Home Alone for the holidays, was astonishing in his creativity for inflicting unspeakable pain on clumsy burglars, and we loved it.  Exploding, crushing, maiming, burning, piercing, flesh-ripping, rattling, brutal entertainment for our children.  This seems strange on a certain level -- that normal folks like us could derive such pleasure from watching unspeakable human suffering -- however, the enjoyment is really only possible because of one thing:  The bad guys had it coming.  They asked for it.  Bugs Bunny was simply foiling Yosemite Sam's own hot-headed schemes to destroy him; it was really Sam's own fault.  And with the "Home Alone" situation, of course, the burglars brought their torment upon themselves because of the obvious fact that they were breaking and entering another family's home.  We only let our children watch such agony and human suffering because it's self-wrought, teaching them a valuable moral lesson:  These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!  Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

When we cheat, when we lie, when we scheme -- we ultimately set ourselves up for a fall.  We all know this, deep down.  We've been seeing it on television screens and movie screens since our childhood.  We still see it playing out on the news all the time, when some evil corporate head is deposed, when some sneaky politician has his dirty laundry spilled in front of the media.  But we need to remind ourselves of it, when we start to tempt fate and go along with some subtle scheme, to which our conscience subtly recoils.  We really do know better.  But the schemers can be charming.  The lies can be so deceptive.  And if we take our eyes off the bigger picture for a couple of seconds, we can find ourselves falling into the roles of the villains instead of the innocent heroes.  We need to be careful.  We need to be considerate.  We need to be sensitive to the leading of our conscience.  Because if we go down because of waylaying ourselves, the rest of the world is not going to feel any more sorry for us than they do for Yosemite Sam and the Home Alone burglars.  In fact, they might even pop up a nice big bowl of popcorn and enjoy the glow of the flaming wreckage.  It's a disturbing thought, yes.  But it's a realistic and sobering thought that can lead us back towards wisdom.