I know you're talking to Turncoat, Thrill. However, I wanted to say how I agree with you. I think there are people out there that are genuine. What we can't do is assume that even these people don't have some ulterior motive for what they do that they may not even be fully aware of. For example, I know a devout Christian man who often talks about how people should be nicer and treat each other with more respect. He does me favors and has even paid for many of my meals out of supposed generosity. What I notice is that he also expects something in return. He needs for you to feel thankful to him by expressing it somehow. He is intolerant of "disrespect." He stops doing things for people that "don't appreciate" his favors. That isn't kindness. It's a form of manipulation. I think it's better to assume that people are out for themselves than to assume there are true acts of altruism (which I have yet to see).
by TurncoatI must have it worse then. I honestly think it's in human nature to manipulate, which inevitably leads to backstabbery in the name of their own gains, gains that can easily be accepted as a reasonable excuse since they only have to prove it to themselves.
Everyone's out for themselves, as we are selfish by nature. By that logic, it's why I don't trust people's words, but their habits.
That just seems a little paranoid to me. It's as though you believe everyone you know is going to stab you in the back eventually. That's not how I think. While I believe almost everyone is capable of it, I don't believe it's in everyone's nature to do it.
It is a dog eat dog world though. I believe that much.
It's not that I'd be stabbed in the back for being me, and not just that it'd be from those that I know. It's closer to expecting I'd be stabbed in the back for being perceivably in someone's way. It's not even that it'd be personally me, just how it'd not be personally another, just an eventuality from people being people, an event given drama based on the context in which it happens more than the existence of the ability to betray itself. Even if a betrayal never came toward you from someone, they're still likely to betray someone else somewhere somehow.
It's no reason to live in fear of it, but it does help for expecting it. It also makes it that much easier to go through with it myself when I recognize that they could have done it themselves if given the opportunity.