Word of Honor
It would not be inaccurate to describe me as cynical. Whether it's work, society, or relationships, with any new idea I can jump twenty steps ahead and see every problem that can arise. When a school or district proposes a change, I can see all the ways it won't be implemented well. When a community proposes an action step to plead for social justice, I can review all the ways that leaders have failed to listen in the past. When a new relationship sprouts, I can take the smallest action and magnify it to five years down the line where it will cause us to separate. This ability to predict the worst and act accordingly has been an extremely useful trauma response. After a past where I had very little control over anything, I've built a generally happy and successful life from the foresight to attempt to control for every eventuality, cynically reluctant to rely on anyone else to uphold their part, making sure everything I depend on is, if possible...
