G is for Gullible
or is it?
Hello, my name is Ash, and I am gullible. I am not talking simple looks-left-at-nothing-when-directed. I am a bonafide, grade-A rube. I am a believer in glass-bottom planes, George Takei starring in a Star Trek musical and Skype-ing into space. April Fool’s was made for sharp people to have a laugh at does like me.
I’ve always felt insecure about believing the absurd. In a society where you’re supposed to have an opinion and fight loudly over dinner to prove it, I often fold. I leave room for doubt, and that special pack of the opinionated elite leaves me in the dust of logic.
I’m assured by friends that it’s endearing. But I’m also told that I’m vulnerable. I don’t have the quick verbal incisors to defend myself against the words of charlatans. I’m told that especially as a product designer surrounded by smart people who have “scientist” in their degree, I’m bound to run into trouble from people with fuzzy logic that sounds intelligent.
Sure, I do from time to time. But here’s the thing: people lie. Everyone lies. When asked how we are, we gloss over how bad our day actually was so we don’t burden others with our troubles. We tell the waiter that our too-salty dishes were good.
Oftentimes, the truth just sucks. It’s often not helpful, or just plain boring. Over the years I’ve come to believe that being gullible is a precious sort of truth dodging.
I want to believe that there’s something glimmering under the surface of our sort of brutal world. When I hear amazing stories, I want to cheer us on.
So I try not to fear being wrong or bowled over. Being wrong doesn’t seem like a very high price for asking, ‘why not?’ and very occasionally sailing over the lies.
