I was reading another thread related to the purchase of a tractor with something like 100 hours on it, that developed serious problems within minutes of delivery.
It got me thinking about my feelings of trusting people.
Before I met my wife, after spending four years in the military, if you can count the US Coast Guard as the military, BUT I did spend a year in South East Asia in the USCG, if that matters...anyway, after ending my four year commitment, I took my old BMW motorcycle on a passenger carrying freighter to Spain, and embarked on a long trip from Europe to Asia. At the end of a year and a half of traveling I met a Japanese woman who would end up being my wife. now just months away from 50 years of marriage, on a train in Russia, after crossing Russia on the Trans Siberian RR in December. A time when everything out the windows was white, LOL.
Anyway, after getting married, and settling down in Japan for a while, I was still distrustful of people. I had met masters of deception when traveling in many foreign countries.
A Japanese friend of the new wife needed to borrow some small amount of money. Something like $500 at the time. I was very hesitant, and basically said how can be be sure the friend is honest and will return the loan?
Concept was foreign to the wife. I accepted her appraisal and we lent the money. It naturally came back shortly.
I then reassessed my position of what human nature was like. Lived too long on the dark side I guess.
Now I do trust people, but still have an understanding it pays to be careful when dealing with people I don't know personally.
My guess is people here at OTT learned this lesson quicker than I did.
Edit: forgot to add that during my travels I was ripped off by the best of them, and I appreciate the lesson...LOL... it never amounted to more than an few bucks, but when living on a dollar a day that meant something. But still worth the price of membership...
It got me thinking about my feelings of trusting people.
Before I met my wife, after spending four years in the military, if you can count the US Coast Guard as the military, BUT I did spend a year in South East Asia in the USCG, if that matters...anyway, after ending my four year commitment, I took my old BMW motorcycle on a passenger carrying freighter to Spain, and embarked on a long trip from Europe to Asia. At the end of a year and a half of traveling I met a Japanese woman who would end up being my wife. now just months away from 50 years of marriage, on a train in Russia, after crossing Russia on the Trans Siberian RR in December. A time when everything out the windows was white, LOL.
Anyway, after getting married, and settling down in Japan for a while, I was still distrustful of people. I had met masters of deception when traveling in many foreign countries.
A Japanese friend of the new wife needed to borrow some small amount of money. Something like $500 at the time. I was very hesitant, and basically said how can be be sure the friend is honest and will return the loan?
Concept was foreign to the wife. I accepted her appraisal and we lent the money. It naturally came back shortly.
I then reassessed my position of what human nature was like. Lived too long on the dark side I guess.
Now I do trust people, but still have an understanding it pays to be careful when dealing with people I don't know personally.
My guess is people here at OTT learned this lesson quicker than I did.
Edit: forgot to add that during my travels I was ripped off by the best of them, and I appreciate the lesson...LOL... it never amounted to more than an few bucks, but when living on a dollar a day that meant something. But still worth the price of membership...
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