Vigilance protects you from manipulation, but total isolation can become its own prison. The danger isn’t only naïveté—letting everyone in—but also closing the door to everyone. The real balance is discernment: know your weaknesses, don’t give trust cheaply, but don’t refuse it entirely either. Close the gates to the crowd — not to everyone. True strength is being able to say: “I am no longer naïve” without also saying “No one will ever enter my life again.”

“God has placed us as competitors in a race where it is our destiny to be constantly striving. This place, therefore—a valley of tears—is not a condition of peace nor a state of security, but an arena of struggle and endurance.” — Jerome, Homily 16 on the Psalms

Good attempt. But they will not answer you. You cannot flatter my tyrants. I sent them to the gallows long ago. For one who rules himself, it is imperative to know his own weaknesses well, or the unknown will seep into his life through them. To say “I have no weakness” is the greatest of them all. Do not underestimate it. Do not trust it and lie down beside the beast simply because its eyes appear closed. That which does not manifest on its own only needs a stimulus to serve a master. Vanity. Ambition. Desire for recognition… Borders are crossed and languages change, yet human weaknesses remain universal—immortal across the ages. You will feel as though someone understands you. The incredible impression that this person has known you for years, even though they have only recently entered your life. Your weaknesses have been with you since the nest; therefore, the one who takes them by the hand will seem strangely familiar. The cunning one will ask about your family, your work, or your day with no real interest in hearing the answer. But he knows that the language of “I” does not work, so he will speak only about you until it serves his purpose. The countermeasure is the death of innocence. Stop being overly emotional. Subdue the ego. This may make you harsh, monosyllabic, or impatient. Save your time. Protect your years. There are people who appear during a good moment and take nearly a decade to be expelled—only then allowing you to return to the phase you were in before them. Do not lose another ten years to learn this lesson. It may cost you the rest of your life. “They will knock on your door, sit in a chair, and consume your time without adding anything to your life. When many empty people appear and keep appearing, you have to be cruel to them, because they are being cruel to you.” — Charles Bukowski