well, Dina, this is a very important piece of advice and I try to follow it every second of every day, i trust ppl instantly, i persume the good before the bad, i end up being hurt all the time from friends, family, colleagues, can't seem to shake that off!! i know it's good to trust ppl but it's gotta be to a certain degree though and then there's this phase of trusting nobody after being hurt, it really is kinda childish in a way, gotta grow up :)

May- Thank you for your feedback. I believe its all a part of growing up. Its only natural to retaliate when one gets hurt by staying away from the source. However, with maturity via exposure and experiences we learn how to handle various situations and a variety of individuals from all walks of life. Its convenient to assume many aspects of strangers too soon. The consequences however would be unexpectedly challenging. As we walk along the unpredictable journey and we choose to grow wiser, we are more cautious with acquaintances.

What time frame are we talking about. 1 day 1 week 1year 50 years or never People even change after 20 to 25 years of trust. That is the unpredictability and uncontrolled medium to long term risk when dealing with human thinking, feeling and behaving regardless of family friend or as you mention an acquaintance!

so true, it doesn't hurt to try and see what becomes of it, assumptions are not always right....and besides we have an instinct to guide us.