Monday, February 9, 2015

Gullibility

We, as a whole, tend to think of a gullible person as being dumb, naive, lacking common sense, or other similar negative traits. If you happen to suffer from gullibility, (as I often do) you are familiar with the feeling of foolishness, shame, or being taken advantage of when you realize that someone's got your leg. Many times, the person on the pulling side of your chain means well, or perhaps is lighthearted or humorous, but there is another side as well.

It is of my belief that the fault lies not with the gullible, but with he who is spinning tales. Naomi and I have many discussions about the types of people we want to associate with, and the type of future we wish to create. We respect hard work, kindness, communication, and honesty. I don't wish to fault the person for whom honesty is the norm; he or she who believes everything that another person says, because we believe in honesty and communication. There is no comfort in doubt. The gullible person is strong for adhering so closely to a policy of honesty in the face of those who wish to misrepresent themselves and the truth.

I can't end this thought without needing to mention the role of critical thinking (thanks Naomi) in our interactions, but this is all I wish to dive into at the moment.

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