Initiation and the Virtue of Gullibility
Initiation and the Virtue of Gullibility I prize gullibility in my own thinking--and I am generally gullible. I used to lament this fact. People often took advantage of my willingness to believe; usually resulting in my being fooled into thinking or doing or saying something that I would immediately regret out of fear or embarrassment. I developed a paranoid hypersensitivity to any inclination that I might have been duped, illogical, overly emotional, or anyhow inconsistent. My own held beliefs and understanding needed to stand up under scrutiny. This perspective centered my experience of social life. It seemed obvious that belief could directly determine action; so paying attention to the actions of others was a key to understand their beliefs--or maybe it was the other way around. I can't remember. Anyway, this rarely mattered, and I concluded again that I was gullible to have believed anybody to be so consistent. It was terrible. Now, beyond the display of pessimism and arrogan
