Is it wise to be suspicious of the motives or honesty of other people even those who appear to be trustworthy

Deception and trickery surround each person. Everyone in some point of time must have been befooled or cheated by enemies or even close ones. What the eyes see is not always true and what the ears hear may not be the reality. Thus being vigilant and suspicious of those around is wisdom.

In the book The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Gatsby put all his trust in Daisy. He was sure that Daisy loved him and would support him n the times of crisis. HE went to great extent to impress her and marry her. However Daisy was not what she appeared. After she accidently killed another woman she left Gatsby to bear the brunt of the guilt and moved to another city with her husband. Gatsby was left alone to face the society and ultimately died as a criminal. Had Gatsby been wise enough he would have taken precautions to distance himself from Daisy who was a selfish and careless woman.

Another real life example is of the great entrepreneur Steve Jobs. In his early years Jobs discovered his passion for manufacturing and designing. He started a small workshop with his father in their garage. Later on he started a company with his friend as joint venture. However his friend cheated him and took the entire company on his name leaving Jobs penniless. Although Jobs managed to get the company back this incident was a setback in his life.

It is rightly said that ups and downs in life are inevitable. People may experience loss of family members, monetary loss or incidences of deception. One should take lessons from these setbacks and also remember not lay complete trust in anyone. I remember that I had a best friend who accompanied me in school for a very long time. I always tended to her needs while she attended to mine. However , in grade 11 she found new friends who turned out to be more “useful” for her as they were among the popular ones in class. So my friend stopped talking to me and refused to help me in any further science projects or home assignments . Later on I realized that she had merely been taking my advantage for all those years as she had nobody to talk to and I could help her in academics. I was heartbroken at first But now I know that it was my folly to believe every word she said.

Being suspicious does not involve being cynical about everything or everybody around us. However it involves being careful when one is around friends and avoid being carried away by flattering words. One should learn from experience and always have some suspicions even of the most honest ones.