by Mr. Mean-Spirited
Trusting other people is a true sign of mental illness. Confidence in other human beings is a character flaw. Dependence on society is a psychological disability. Reliance on the social order is the mark of a diseased personality.
Being uneasy and uncomfortable around other people is the right response of a healthy mind. Suspicion of strangers is the proper reaction of a fit and functioning psyche. Confiding in others is simply too much of a risk at this time in human history.
Constant wariness is a natural function of complete sanity. The closest thing to actual enlightenment is remaining on edge when you are around other human beings. The nearest thing to spiritual illumination is keeping yourself eternally vigilant around your neighbors.
Misgivings are an indication that your senses are working correctly. Suspicion is a product of an accurate understanding of human nature. A man does not trust a fellow human being because he knows exactly what lurks within the human soul.
Do-gooders have defined “paranoia” as unhealthy merely because they are numerically more conformists on this planet than loners. If there were some alternative society where individualists predominated, then trust itself would be described as a personality disorder. Paranoia is considered harmful merely because most people in creation are gullible vermin.
But in our world of menace and mistreatment, distrust is a very desirable mental trait. Paranoia should never be overcome, but enhanced. Suspicion is always justified. Wariness is always warranted. Caginess is something to be cultivated. An attitude of skepticism is what you should be seeking.
A man who is not apprehensive of others will never know what is going on around him.
The easiest way for busy-bodies to get away with their behavior is to persuade you that there is something wrong with looking over your shoulder. The best way for the secret police to keep you under surveillance is to convince you that only someone mentally ill would think that he is being followed. When a wife desires to continue her affair, she will always say that you must be sick to suspect her.
Nothing will give you more confidence in dealing with social interaction than the absolute certainty that other people will deceive you. Paradoxically enough, the knowledge that other people are out to get you is a source of comfort. The inevitable betrayal of someone close to you will feel like vindication.
