Accepting your responsibility
Accept responsibility that is yours, but don't try to claim responsibility that is not yours.
An example that crops up constantly is "taxation". If your money is stolen at gunpoint to pay for the state, against your will, it is not your fault. If you happily "pay your taxes", then it IS your fault when the state uses that money for evil purposes.
In my previous column I spoke of "fraud". Some seem to place the blame more on the gullible victim, others blame the deceptive liar. It could be the fault of either, or even some combination. However, don't think you can go through life cheating people and then remaining blameless and pure, since "they shouldn't have been so gullible". Few people will buy that excuse.
Everyone is vulnerable to falling for a scam. No matter how smart you think you are, there is always someone smarter. At least when it comes to lying. Their deception has been refined from years of experience. They know exactly how to fool you and gain your trust. Their every waking move has been geared to figuring out how to trap people like you, while you have been simply going about your life. It is not your fault that you haven't been obsessively concerning yourself with avoiding fraud. However, if you are also trying to get something for nothing you will be more gullible and bear more blame than if you are simply trying to conduct honest business with a liar. Obviously, if you know a person is a liar, it is smarter to refuse to deal with them in any way, ever. In fascist America, you don't always have that choice.
I have personally suffered from fraud. In my case I was not seeking "something for nothing"; the price was actually very high. I got nothing in return. And, yes, it resulted in part from a desire to benefit from something that seemed too good to be true. I should have known better, and yet every time my inner alarms went off, someone or something allayed my fears enough to get me in deeper. I hope I have learned my lesson, but I also hope this doesn't mean I will never trust anyone in important matters again. It is a delicate balance, and one that is not easily maintained by an individual every moment of their life. You will stumble sometimes, and you will be pushed at other times. Recognize which has happened before you assign the blame.
