Life Lessons
How To Survive The Human Jungle
Make paranoia your friend
From a very young age I have always felt I was passing through life with a target painted on my back. I'm not sure if that is a very common condition or if it is just a handful of life's unfortunate souls like me. It all began when I was at junior school when I was wrongfully accused and got punished for something somebody else did. Maybe it was just that I looked like a gullible patsy who would make for an easy scapegoat.
Over time this can make you more than a little wary about people and forces you to trust in your own instinct, to listen to your own inner voice. Whenever I heard that voice say something like "Liam, there is something about this just does not seem right, be very careful." I would try to exercise care and prudence and always try to err on the side of caution.
Where I was born and brought up was little better than an urban jungle. It was a big city overspill estate full of all sorts of human dregs from what passed for civilised society. I was not to put too fine a point on it an innocent abroad, a sweet and tender lamb amongst fire breathing monsters from the wrong side of town. I was not made for the world into which I had been thrust ripe for the picking.
I well remember one day as a very young child being offered a sweet by somebody who had previously bullied me. The sweet in question was called a Blackjack and was a liquorice flavoured square in a waxy wrapper. As I tentative opened the sweet I already had the uneasy feeling that all was not right. I raised the sweet to my nose and immediately smelled something more akin to freshly melted tarmac than liquorice. They thought it was hilarious for some reason as I threw the 'sweet' on the road. This was a taste of much bigger things to come in later years, even into my adult life.
I have quite literally lost count of the number of times people have tried to have one over on me, thankfully with little success. But I have to say, I have been given the run around a time or two before I discovered it was all a ruse.That is because even with my personal security alert system on full alert, it wasn't always blindingly obvious from the start. As a general rule I am always a little cautious when somebody offers to do something nice for me, which is a shame because sometimes there are folk who genuinely want to do something nice for you.
I guess I am somewhat paranoid, but I dont actually see that as a bad thing. I healthy mistrust of people has saved my bacon many a time. The thing with paranoia is that all too often your paranoia is well founded. Here's a definition I got from Googling the word.
Paranoia — Better Health Channel
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au › health › paranoia
"Paranoia is the irrational and persistent feeling that people are ‘out to get you’ or that you are the subject of persistent, intrusive attention by others. This unfounded mistrust of others can make it difficult for a person with paranoia to function socially or have close relationships."
From my own long life of personal experience it is sad to reflect that a great many people ARE in fact out to get you. And believe me, many have succeeded. I do try to be careful, but there are people who are expert at getting under the radar.Of course I also try to not let my paranoia rule my social life, though with the present lockdown there isn't much of a social life to speak of anyway. But if we ever do get back to 'normal' for want of a better word, I shall safeguard my life with a healthy dose of being wary.
And without wishing to over-egg the pudding, there are lots of pretty young ladies who were not paranoid enough and have paid the ultimate price. So just try to remember one thing, life's motherfuckers do not go around wearing a pair of underpants on their head with 'I am a sick psychopathic motherfucker' emblazoned right across those Y Fronts. Keep that foremost in your mind and you shouldn't go far wrong.
https://readmedium.com/in-search-of-a-lost-child-18d4c2c20070?sk=af7e5756d755e8d778402812096e7319
Dr Mehmet Yildiz Aldric Chen Esther George Aldric Chen Michael Nagy Rebecca Stevens A. Esther George Rui Alves Terry Mansfield Abigail Storm Mike Janowski Random Jones Judge-Mental Fiona RobinsonJames mothersbaugh Keith Kollmann Julie Greenidge Denise Shelton Ash K WordsWereSaid Jack Albrecht