I'm commenting because I think it's important to see that this kind of thinking is not a matter of choice. It DOES happen to people after suffering a major trauma - or a series of such traumas over time - in the form of being damaged by some most significant people in their lives, those who were supposed to love them. Unconditionally. Especially if the person is sensitive/vulnerable to this kind of damage.

I am in the exact same place as the opening poster and while I am often able to see how irrational my thinking is, most of the time I am fully convinced that people ARE bad, liars, users and have nothing but selfish motives. On top of that - and you see this all over this or any kind of similar forum - most posters seem very lenient with themselves stating that it is part of human nature, self defense, social norm or even a kind thing to lie, pretend, wear a mask, etc.

For someone with my mindset and possibly that of the OP - such opinions are a cause for even more profound despair and a complete justification of this excessive distrust.

Yes, it is an awfully hard life to live, destructive, toxic, isolating but - like I said - it is not a matter of choice.

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