By Vernalee
Remember the old famous duck test.
If it looks like a duck; walks like a duck; swims like a duck; quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck!
The duck test is a form of deductive reasoning.
The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject's habitual characteristics. In other words, things are usually what they appear to be.
It is us who don't accept the obvious.
It is us who ignore the behaviors, provide excuses, and try to discern the motives. Motives are hard to define particularly when they are synthetic and insincere.
Don't be fooled. Everyone is not your friend. People wear so many disguises – many of which are hard to detect; others of which are not visibly noticeable.
I remember the old folks saying, “Everyone bears watching!” It’s amazing how I embrace those quotes today. In my younger years, I thought that those old fashioned souls knew nothing at all. Stop categorizing people by saying what they will not do. So keep your “guards up” around folks that you don’t trust.
Better yet, keep them out of your space if at all possible. Follow your instincts! Your nose is usually not wrong!
Believe what you see. There is such danger in assumption. Take notes; pay attention. Don’t be paranoid, but reasonably stay on alert.
People, just like ducks, can "fly the coop." They are not always what we think.
Quack, quack! Photo credit: www.pininterest.com