Fandango’s Provocative Question #202
Now here’s a really good question:
Have you ever been sure that you knew something to be true only to find out that what you thought you knew to be true was, in fact, not true? If so, what was it and how did you find out that it wasn’t true?
In my adult life, that hasn’t happened with information — but that supposes you aren’t going to count all the liars I believed until I discovered (always too late) they were lying. The scam artists, on and offline, who betrayed my childish (stupid) trust. The people who stole from me and are apparently pleased with themselves. I couldn’t live with the shame, but they embrace it.
I forgave them all, or more to the point, I recognized that dealing with them was beyond me, so I handed them off to that higher power (whatever it may be) and finally found peace.
Knowledge, though? Information? I’m a determined researcher, I check out everything before I believe it. I have met too many liars, backbiters and haters to be willing to believe what someone says without checking to see whether or not it’s true.
What a pity you can’t do meaningful research on people.
With people, you have to go with “impressions” and “feelings.” This has not turned out to be in any sense an accurate assessment.
I have an unfortunate tendency to believe people. I give people the benefit of a doubt and assume they are honest or trying to be. I have been greatly pummeled by many of them who were fakes, frauds, scammers, and outright thieves. If only you could look them up on Google and discover who they really are before they took you to the cleaners. Wouldn’t that be swell?
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Categories: #FPQ, Provocative Questions, truth
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Yeah I’ve kicked myself more than once in the past for falling for a good story only to find out it was wrong. Now I tend to suss everything out, particularly these days as the propoganda is overwhelming on so many things as narratives are pushed. I find that when only one side of a story is allowed then you have to ask why that is. Especially in recent years.
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Do you know there is a channel on YouTube that shows nothing but people opening boxes? Not what’s IN the box, but just opening them up. It gets MILLIONS of views. If that is getting millions of views, not only do we have a massive dishonesty issue in this country, but it is matched by a massive stupidity problem.
I’ve been scammed, ripped off, lied to, etc ad nauseum. The whole CONCEPT of honest seems to have gone down the tubes.
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It took a few decades but the mysterious “they” did an excellent job dumbing down society. Couple that with the “Me” mentality and there you have it. Sad really.
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Depressing. Opening boxes? I like to think the people I meet while blogging are smarter than that. I don’t think any of us spend hours watching people open packages. And hopefully, none of believe in strange cabals or are official flat-worlders. I sure HOPE so!
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I heard that if all the water in the world is not carbonated then the world must be flat. Not much of a joke but it made me smile.
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That would be “Theory of the Bubbly Earth”?
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Lol … absolutely
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I know exactly what you mean. One of the reasons I married right away after my first husband passed was exactly that. I am too trusting. Vince helps me with that because he trusts almost no one. If he trusts them, then I get a little worried! LOL His sister, on the other hand, is an easy scam victim. She got scammed out of $1800 once, 300 at a time until she mentioned it to her counselor. She didn’t tell us until she called from the police station.
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I’ve been ripped off for more than that, but only once. And it was my own bank. Now, I don’t trust anyone who collects money from me. I save receipts on my computer, in special pouches. I don’t trust anyone.
But people are something else. I figure anyone who is my friend or who acts like my friends would behave like a friend. That has not turned out to be true. There are real friends — and then, there are all the rest. Garry is at least as bad as me, maybe worse. Owen trusts no one at work, but everyone else. We are all hopeless.
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And yet we make it through life! I listened to part of the first podcast your husband is collaborating on. I didn’t have time to finish the entire podcast, but I think it’s a great idea. 🙂
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Well, they recorded the second one yesterday. They are just a half hour each, so I think I may convince them to record two at a time. That way if someone isn’t feeling well or is out of town or has company, we won’t instantly run out of programs. The guys are having fun and that’s important. Garry needed something to involve him.
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That’s wonderful, Marilyn. It’s a great way not to lose all that wonderful experience.
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That would be swell. I too, give people the benefit of the doubt and it has caused me harm many times. You’d think I would stop but I suppose it is just who I am. Fortunately, however I have gotten slightly less naive in my 30+ years.
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I’ve improved, but I’m so ridiculously easy to con, I don’t ever trust myself. I take someone else with me. The problem is, they are as bad as I am. Sad, but true. We think the world, or at least people, are better than (it would seem) they are!
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It does feel as if fewer and fewer people are genuine.
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I don’t understand it, either. There’s something so very wrong with this country. Liars, scammers, backbiters, haters, and millions of people who don’t care whether something is true or not but are just willing to believe anything if it agrees with what they want to be true.
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I believe that is the definition of ignorance.
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I believe you are right.
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Going on dating sites for a few years really opened my eyes to the sheer number of liars and scammers who lurk everywhere!
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And they always seem so NICE, don’t they? The nicest people turn out to be the worst rats.
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It’s hard to judge people accurately, specially that first time.
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For me, any time. I always think people are honest. I don’t know why because I know it’s not true, but every time, I trust. Sometimes it’s great, but a lot of times, is isn’t. You’d think I’d learn.
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I’ve been a made a fool of many times but it’s usually the first time, afterwards I’m more careful.
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I don’t make the same mistake with the same person, but I will make it with the next person, even though I already know through sad experience that I should be more careful.
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I think it’s your kind heart, wishing to believe the best of people
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It has just become a very expensive personal flaw.
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I don’t believe it’s a flaw. Kindness, even when underserved, comes back in some other way.
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I hope so. Maybe it has already.
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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