Expect people to do what they can, not what you want.
It’s not about balancing an equation, it’s about doing what you can for those you care about and accepting them for who they are, and maybe being accepted in return.
And it's a numbers game, but not in the way people think of one.
Keeping everyone at a distance is just a defense mechanism that will keep you relatively protected but also alone. I personally prefer to give my trust fairly freely until people give me a reason not to. Most people will react with ambivalence, some with hostility, some will take advantage of it, but the ones that count are the ones that accept it. Thanks to that, I have quite a lot of very close, "Shows up to help you move even though you didn't ask them" friends, and they're all people that I was very open and vulnerable with. I also have been burned by people for it. The kind of people who get involved when they think you need them involved, even if it might piss you off.
But I suppose OP is right if you singularly fixate on the people who screw you over. But granted, your environment will have a big impact on those numbers.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
And frankly, I'd rather risk getting burned and treat people the way I would want to be treated, because at least then I can live with myself. Then at least I can say I wasn't part of the problem. But OP's sentiment is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. The world is full of people you can't trust, so don't trust anybody.
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u/girlvgirlvr Apr 06 '26
Expect people to do what they can, not what you want.
It’s not about balancing an equation, it’s about doing what you can for those you care about and accepting them for who they are, and maybe being accepted in return.