Life seems like a never-ending rollercoaster ride - with moments of joy, sadness, and some occasions that leave you wondering what the hell is happening. There were some bad moments as well as there were good times. We have been hardwired since childhood to be optimistic, to look for the best in people that was going well for me. I was doing just that. Life seemed to be easy and fun. I was happy least that is what I thought. For the longest time, I thought I had a great group of people around me that I could trust, always believing that people are good. Everything seemed so perfect. But, as life would have it, things aren't always what they seem.
Something happened that made me question everything. It wasn't one occasion, but a series of subtle betrayals happening right under my nose. At first, I tried to ignore them, thinking they were tiny blips on the radar. But as time went I realized how many times people had broken my trust. I couldn't ignore them any longer. I started to wonder if I could trust those around me. It was a scary thought. I had always prided myself on having a tight-knit group of friends, people I could rely on no matter what. But now I wasn't so sure.
One day, I asked myself: "Do you trust those around you?" I almost answered "yes" instantly, but something made me pause. Some acts kept popping up in my head, little moments where I felt like someone had let me down or betrayed my trust in small ways.
I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It wasn't just one person or a single occasion, but a nagging suspicion that maybe not everyone in my life was as trustworthy as I thought.
For a long time, I kept these thoughts to myself. I didn't want to confront my friends or make things awkward between us. That was the excuse I gave myself for not facing the reality. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I couldn't ignore the issue. It started to haunt my thoughts. I couldn't hold it anymore.
Finally, I decided to take action. My first thought was to cut these people off from my life completely. But instead of cutting people off or changing my attitude towards them, I decided to take a different approach. I acted with them the same way I always had, pretending that nothing had changed. But in my mind, I knew I couldn't trust them the same way anymore.
I started to share less with them, revealing only the bare minimum. And yet, I still let them believe they knew everything about me. It was a form of revenge, I suppose. I wasn't going to let them use me anymore.
And so, I continued to live, keeping my true feelings hidden behind a facade of friendship. It wasn't the ideal situation. But this was the best I could do. In the end, I knew I had to choose my friends carefully. The worst thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. It reminds me of a line by Mike Tyson, the legendary boxer, "Everyone you fight is not your enemy. Everyone who helps you is not your friend."
Before answering the question, "Do you trust those around you?" take a moment to pause and reflect. Is there anything that makes you want to change your answer? This blog post isn't the dark story of my broken but rather a reflection of what I went through. In conclusion, trusting those around you is a complex issue. Sometimes, it takes time to realize that the people you thought you could trust are not who they seem to be. It might also be that someone seems untrustworthy but might be the opposite. It's okay to be cautious about who you let into your life and who to count on. Choose your friends carefully, and never forget that it's the friends you want to look out for.