What do I know about people?
I know they change and evolve as I do. I know enough to not throw trust at them without caution. I know they, unlike me, are not obligated to understand my reasons or my misgivings. What do I hope to achieve by trying to unravel all those stories? I guess all these people we meet in life fall into three baskets if categorized broadly. Harmless, harmful, and indifferent. And like any game of chess, we might just be assessing endlessly and subconsciously, how much they could either redeem or damage our lives. However, it is my opinion that we don’t usually stick to the rules. Not until we reach a point where following one’s survival instinct is the only way to come out of the trusting game alive. Still, that is only the downside of trusting people. It could be rewarding to trust sometimes. We all know that, and aren’t we people ourselves? As far as detachment goes, complete alienation towards one’s self… can it be called a crime? Aren’t all crimes rewarded by punishment though… and if so, what could possibly be so wrong in a stupor… It is common notion that punishments are supposed to hurt.
So what do I know of punishment?
I know that sometimes it is mercy to choose numbness over more pain. If numbness is the price one pays for shielding themselves from an endless volley of arrows, is it even a punishment?
So what happens after you stop responding?
Every blow still reaches you, but that is all it can do. Reach you. Dull thuds against a shell sacrificed to take as many as it can. You see them, you watch them, but do you feel them? For which you reply in kind- “What are they?”
