I recall today that few struggles challenge one at a deeper level than the problem of figuring out how far to trust somebody. I have known more than one person who treated me wonderfully, but who treated others very inconsiderately. I did not find out until later that my experience was atypical; how then are we to distinguish coercive social engineering from genuine kindness and integrity?
“He was always a perfect gentleman to me and my family, so he must have done the same to you. Since he was always reliable to me, you must be the liar.”
(Reminds me of the Jim Cunningham character in Donnie Darko, which I finally watched last night, clearing two-thirds of the Netflix jam.)
If a person is kind to you but treats others inconsiderately, does not the following apply?
“If ye do it unto the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me”
It is devastating to witness\experience the betrayal of a loved one by persons whom we thought to be trust-worthy. What is expected of us at that point?