Distrust has a terrible reputation in our present existence. It’s viewed poorly. “The distrusting are a problem” is the general notion.  “They’re foolish, they’re paranoid. Why won’t they just accept the answer given?” Well, I say that’s a bunch of malarkey spread by those entirely worthy of distrust.

Distrust is actually a most wonderful thing, a tool of great virtue and discernment, a cudgel that strikes at complacency, a jackhammer to the false edifices humans construct around themselves to deal with and exploit the infinite complexities of our reality.

Now, obviously as a blanket presumption, distrusting everything can be harmful. After all, when you select a lifelong mate, you kind of have to trust them. And with your close loved ones as a whole, some semblance of trust must be granted, even if it ends up burning you to give it.

Everything else does not deserve your trust. And no, you don’t distrust things because you despise them – you distrust them because you love them, though you do not fully know them. You distrust so that what you’re distrusting might earn your trust. And in doing so, you make that which you’re distrusting more honest.

Strangers, institutions, concepts, even reality itself isn’t fully worthy of your trust. Your own mind can deceive you, as can anyone else. Some among them might be worthy of trust. Distrusting them and verifying things won’t make the honest suddenly untrustworthy. Indeed, when it comes to things like institutions and governments, leveling automatic distrust actually makes them better. Corruption, cronyism and exploitation are a whole lot harder to pull off in an atmosphere where people aren’t forcing haloes on those scarcely worthy of horns. And people aren’t going to tend to just un-corrupt themselves, self-interest begets greater selfishness, just as self-sacrifice grants greater selflessness. But they might just not try and be corrupt if it comes with a cost, or even just an inconvenience.

So go ahead and distrust.  It’s been earned.