Opinion
TRUST! I CAN’T DEAL, MY CIRCLE IS A DOT
By Dr jalarth Uche Opara
I am not good at sliding into people’s profile page and status. It is something I find very difficult to do. I am cautious about whom I let into my space and, more importantly, whom I allow into my circle.
However, by whatever force or orchestration, yesterday I slided into someone’s Facebook Story . There, I found a one-minute video clip that caught my attention.Two ladies, supposedly friends, stood by the cliff of a mountain.
Suddenly, one of them slipped, at the verge of falling down. She held on to nothing, but a receding stone that was gradually caving in. Her friend stretched out her hand, risking being dragged down with her. She struggled and eventually pulled her out of harm’s way.
Exhausted, the two lay on the ground, trying to regain some strength.What happened next sent a shock down my spine.
The rescued lady stood up, stared at her friend and, with a mischievous smile, pushed her down the cliff.The video clip ended with the caption:“TRUST! I CAN’T DEAL. MY CIRCLE IS A DOT.”
The clip was obviously designed to teach how delicate trust can be and how people who ride on the back of another person’s goodwill can, within a split second, turn around and deal a devastating blow to the very person who helped them.
Sadly, for many, this is not merely a video. It is their reality. It is their story.
Trust no one randomly.
Trust should not be a gift handed out on a platter of goodwill. It should be a trophy reserved for those who have worked for it.
Trust is not charity, given out of sympathy or empathy. It is something earned through time, consistency, scrutiny, testing and validation.
There is no point maintaining a large circle of friends when trust cannot be vouched for.
Better to have a DOT as your circle and have peace than to maintain a wide circle of people whose loyalty, trustworthiness and good hearts cannot be vouched for.
A friend you cannot trust can sometimes be worse than an enemy. With an enemy, your guard is always up. But with a friend, your guard comes down. You open your heart.
You share your vulnerabilities. You give access.And sometimes, it is that access that becomes the weapon used against you.
So, I would rather have a dot than a circle that breeds disaster.A small circle of genuine people is better than a large circle of disguised enemies.
TRUST! I CAN’T DEAL. MY CIRCLE IS A DOT.
Jarlath Uche Opara
jarlathuche@gmail.com
