Why do we trust people? How many times have you put your trust into somebody only to be completely let down? Trust is a preposterous notion. Human beings, by nature, are only interested in one thing: themselves. Would it not be the acme of foolishness, then, to allow yourself to believe anything anybody says?
Let us not confuse trust with honesty. Undoubtedly, people have the capacity to be honest, but honesty is nothing more than self-preservation in action. To be honest means to act free of deceit and untruthfulness, even in the cosmetic areas of life. But, this is not how we act. Everyday, we find excuses to have another bite, take another drink, smoke another cigarette, stare a little longer, drive a little faster, spend a little more: the list goes on and on. We have become masters of deception by continually seeking reasons to delay whatever inevitable fate awaits us. And, to ease our discomfort, we fill our lives with the people, places, and things that offer us the best illusion of totality. It's not our fault- we are wired to seek out that which makes us feel good. It makes sense, then, that when we speak about ourselves we tend to tweak or even omit certain details that we perceive to be insignificant. As a result, only a partial picture is formed. It is impossible to make an informed decision, and then act out of sincerity, if some of the facts are missing.
Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "Damn buddy, your glass is half empty!" I disagree. In fact, I find day to day life extremely humorous and rewarding. But, I've also been told that I've spent a vast portion of my life being incredibly selfish. I've trusted and valued others' opinions more than my own, which means I've tried to build an identity out of lies and manipulation. That's the bitch about trust: as soon as you find out you never had all the information, everything you were and everything you are comes into question. There is nothing more evil than manipulating somebody so much that they begin to believe the lies being told about them. It makes no difference if the lies are big or small, once a new image is created the old image is gone forever.
So we must embrace common sense, as the ability to point out bullshit has become the only yardstick one needs in order to measure the sincerity of another human being. People will always act out of self-interest; this cannot be changed. But, the damage can certainly be minimized. Using common sense will force you to recognize when something or somebody is being disingenuous. Think of common sense like a doubt meter: whenever you begin to feel that doubt, it's probably time to trust your instincts...
All any of us truly want is a little peace and happiness, but we can't seem to sit back long enough to allow that peace to happen organically, so we try to create it. We strive to portray the image that we are respected, worthy, and more in-the-know than the next person. Nobody is our equal and this brings the illusion of peace. But, peace will continue to remain illusive as long as we allow ourselves to be controlled by the illusion of trust. Trust yourself and yourself alone. If for no other reason than nobody knows for certain what the hell happens after this life, stop allowing yourself to be controlled and do whatever it is you want to do in order to give yourself the life that you want...because if life teaches us anything, it's that nobody else ever will.
