I’ve been told by quite a few people that you should never fully trust anyone. There’s even a saying in Spanish that roughly translates to “think badly, and you’ll be right.” I like to assume the best in people and easily give my trust without letting them earn it. So whenever anyone tells me not to trust people, I dismiss the person as being bitter and negative. But I have to say, I have now encountered too many examples where I’ve felt my trust betrayed. It’s making me take on a more practical and emotionless approach to do what needs to be done and protect yourself.

I don’t want to make this too abstract, so here is what prompted this subject. An employee at work is not getting their work done. When asked for an update from my boss, he said he wasn’t sure about the project’s status because I was not providing sufficient instruction and that I’m never available because I’m too busy. Perhaps I should have been more proactive about seeing if he needed help since I have so much experience, but I was never approached by him asking for help. I genuinely like teaching people, and I’m willing to work at any time during the day or night. I only found out that he blamed me when my boss was calling him out; I started to defend this employee, saying that he should be given a chance. I stood up to my boss, defending this employee who (unbeknownst to me) was blaming me for not getting things done. He turned out to be a Judas, and I felt betrayed.

In a sign that I may be finally thinking through with less emotion involved, I feel relatively unaffected by this on an emotional level. I’ve learned my lesson and will be sure to never trust him again. It’s unfortunate that some people are this way and that my opinion of people, in general, is tarnished with each negative experience.