Naïve
I have been accused of being naïve. It is time to present my side of the story...
On the surface, I probably do appear a little naïve. I mean, I believed in Santa Claus until the fourth grade--I actually cried when Mother told me he wasn't real and then I had to ask for clarification to make sure that the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy were also fake. (Yeah, I know. It's still quite a source of laughter in my family. It's okay, you can laugh, too.)
To me, naïve, is used in such a derogatory context. I just don't think I am naïve. In my mind, naive comes from a simple minded, sheltered upbringing. A naïve person is one who is totally unaware of the world around them. Naïve people often seem underexposed to the realism of life. I don't think that is me at all. I am aware of most things…I am conservative in my opinions, but I am not unaware.
I think that others see in me a trait that masquerades as naivety. This deceiving trait gives rise to false allegations. I am not naive.
I am, admittedly, too ready to trust people. I have been burned on more than one occasion by my willingness to accept another's story as fact. I could have saved myself some heartache and disappointment along the way if I had the discernment to view others' actions as less than honest or recognize their motives as self-serving.
Trusting too much has led to my own disappointment, but is it naïve? And what is the opposite side? I am not necessarily jumping at the chance to become cynical.
I recognize that there is probably a more balanced measure that could be attained between my willingness to trust other people and the other end of the spectrum--questioning every action and motive until I am exhausted with conspiracy theories. So how did I arrive at that too-willing-to-believe-what-I'm-told place? And how does someone else take the opposite route and become the cynic of all cynics?
It truly all goes back to childhood and learning how to trust. Legitimately, I don't believe it is a person's fault if they have trust issues. Trust issues develop because of things that happen to us--not because of something we were ever in control of. With that idea in mind, I think it adequately explains why I am so trusting--labeled naïve by some. It is because I was raised by parents and supported by a family whom I could always trust. I was never disappointed by them. I was never let down. I learned to trust because I was surrounded by trustworthy people.
Therefore, I think I am trusting, not naive. Perhaps there is a similarity, perhaps there is not. But I will happily take on either of these characteristics before I will become a question-every-move-they-make kind of human being. Expecting the best from people seems to have always proven itself; expect the worst and that's exactly what you get. Call me naïve if you want, or call me someone who believes in the best intentions of people. Either way, I prefer my existence.
On the surface, I probably do appear a little naïve. I mean, I believed in Santa Claus until the fourth grade--I actually cried when Mother told me he wasn't real and then I had to ask for clarification to make sure that the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy were also fake. (Yeah, I know. It's still quite a source of laughter in my family. It's okay, you can laugh, too.)
To me, naïve, is used in such a derogatory context. I just don't think I am naïve. In my mind, naive comes from a simple minded, sheltered upbringing. A naïve person is one who is totally unaware of the world around them. Naïve people often seem underexposed to the realism of life. I don't think that is me at all. I am aware of most things…I am conservative in my opinions, but I am not unaware.
I think that others see in me a trait that masquerades as naivety. This deceiving trait gives rise to false allegations. I am not naive.
I am, admittedly, too ready to trust people. I have been burned on more than one occasion by my willingness to accept another's story as fact. I could have saved myself some heartache and disappointment along the way if I had the discernment to view others' actions as less than honest or recognize their motives as self-serving.
Trusting too much has led to my own disappointment, but is it naïve? And what is the opposite side? I am not necessarily jumping at the chance to become cynical.
I recognize that there is probably a more balanced measure that could be attained between my willingness to trust other people and the other end of the spectrum--questioning every action and motive until I am exhausted with conspiracy theories. So how did I arrive at that too-willing-to-believe-what-I'm-told place? And how does someone else take the opposite route and become the cynic of all cynics?
It truly all goes back to childhood and learning how to trust. Legitimately, I don't believe it is a person's fault if they have trust issues. Trust issues develop because of things that happen to us--not because of something we were ever in control of. With that idea in mind, I think it adequately explains why I am so trusting--labeled naïve by some. It is because I was raised by parents and supported by a family whom I could always trust. I was never disappointed by them. I was never let down. I learned to trust because I was surrounded by trustworthy people.
Therefore, I think I am trusting, not naive. Perhaps there is a similarity, perhaps there is not. But I will happily take on either of these characteristics before I will become a question-every-move-they-make kind of human being. Expecting the best from people seems to have always proven itself; expect the worst and that's exactly what you get. Call me naïve if you want, or call me someone who believes in the best intentions of people. Either way, I prefer my existence.
posted by kassi at 7:59 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent post... i too fault on the side of too trusting, but that to me is just a better way to live life.
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