Cynicism

I think that it is a great topic.

I would like to think that I have a healthy dose of cynicism, but not so much that I would label myself a cynic.

There really are lots of good people out there. And, being people they often make mistakes.

(I am recalling this purely from memory, the main details should be correct, but just bare in mind my memory isn't what it used to be!)

Many years ago there was a competition where people could submit computer code with different strategies to score the best in ongoing games of The Prisoner's Dilemma (this is a fascinating game in itself, and gives an amazing insight into the human condition. If you have the time, I would recommend reading about it.) It involves a simple choice between co-operating or screwing your opponent over.

People submitted all sorts of complicated strategies with many lines of ingenious computer code to try to outsmart the other players and allow for any situation that could be thought of.

However, the winner was just a few simple line of code. It was called "tit-for-tat". It would always co-operate unless it got screwed over, in which case it would screw-over the opponent back, and then restart co-operating.

I read about this over 30 years ago, and it was a good life lesson for me. Play nice, 'punish' any attacks swiftly, but fairly, and then forgive.

It would be interesting to convert your life strategies into the realm of this game, and see how you fare. Likely not as well as the simple tit-for-tat.

Believing and assuming the worst in people by default usually in most cases turns out to be correct, until proven otherwise 

Believing and assuming the worst in people by default usually in most cases turns out to be correct, until proven otherwise 

This strategy lost out to tit-for-tat.