The Boy On The Fence

When I was a child, my father told me a story. There was a little boy. One day his father picked him up and placed him upon a tall fence. Then the father stepped back and told the boy to jump.

"No!" the boy exclaimed. "I'll get hurt."

"No, you won't get hurt. I'll catch you," the father replied.

But still the boy would not jump. He was on a high fence and he was afraid his father wouldn't catch him.

"I'll catch you!" the father exclaimed. "I'm your father. I won't let you get hurt. Trust me and jump."

This conversation went back and forth for a while, as the father cajoled his son to jump, and the son refused because he didn't want to get hurt. But finally, the father won the argument and his son agreed to jump off the tall fence.

"You'll catch me?" the boy asked.

"Of course," the father answered. "You must trust me. I'm your father."

So the boy jumped off the fence. His father took a step back and let the boy hit the ground. As the boy lay on the ground in pain, the father bent over him and shook his finger at the boy. "Let this be a lesson," the father said. "Never...trust...anyone!"

That short fable taught me a lesson. I've never trusted anyone one hundred percent. Especially politicians; when Trump gives a speech, and talks to a crowd, I can see right through him like he was made off glass. I can see the manipulation he uses, I can spot the lies that come from his mouth. And it's because I learned not to trust anyone totally, one hundred percent. Everyone has their own agenda. Everyone has their own reasons for doing things. They may wrap it up in a pretty package to make you think they're doing something nice for you but often, not always but often, they're doing it to benefit themselves. 

Sometimes it's hard to see the self-interest because seldom do we have all the pieces of the puzzle. We don't see the network of family and friends and associates; we don't see the behind-the-scenes chicanery that goes on. We only see what the grifter wants us to see. "Look at this," he says, holding out a shiny object in one hand, while the other hand picks your pocket. 

That's not really a good analogy, because the grifter doesn't have to pick your pocket. A good grifter will make you want to give him your time and money. And after he has stolen your time and money, he makes you feel good about it, but only because he has not finished using you. When he's done with you, he'll drop you like a hot potato. 

Remember the boy on the fence. Don't think like a child. Don't be gullible. Leave a little room in your head for for a bit of skepticism. And sometimes, for a lot of skepticism.