TRUST NO ONE.

Trust no one.

At this point, I should preface this by saying, I am not a cynic.

I say this with neutrality.

The only thing you can trust is that everyone will prioritize their own self-interests.

You cannot fault them for this, as you do the same.

Understand: this is natural, rooted in our need for self-preservation. For this reason, the first and foundational tier of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, bottom-up, is physiology.

This takes precedence over group needs—first exemplified in the third tier, love and belonging—by two orders of degrees, bearing testament to the fact that human motivation is centered on the needs of the individual.

It just so happens that nature has made it more efficient for us to pursue our mutual interests in tandem. We evolved to depend on one another, uniting under a common cause, lending credence to the pretense that “we’re all in this together.”

Truth be told, as social animals, we find solace in this delusion. We revel in the fantasy. Camaraderie is a great consolation to the coldness of the world.

The fact of the matter is, however, at a core level, it’s every man for himself. Layers of collectivist social conditioning and the scaffolding of societal provisions have simply confounded this bitter truth.

Though a bleak social commentary, this pierces the veil on the tribal essence of human nature.

Since the dawn of human time, we have banded together in tribes because it has been integral for our survival.

Only by allying ourselves with others could we stand a chance battling other tribes, stronger animals, and the elements in the fight for resources, mating rights, and our lives.

Placed at odds against opposing forces, early on, humanity benefitted by establishing in-group, out-group dynamics: the proverbial “us and them.”

In due course, we subdued the dangers of the natural world, created nation states, and scaled the dominance hierarchy up from tribes to governments. Now, though the parameters have changed, the principles of tribalism have remained.

Instead of warring with competing tribes, we war against other nations—or, more peacefully, redirect our instincts and imitate the art of war in competitive sports and politics. In these latter manifestations of our primality in a civilized world, the threat of death has been muted, but remains the bottom line.

Case in point: we form alliances not because we inherently trust one another, but because on the most fundamental level, we do not want to die.

The trust we placed in others was never truly about them. It was a defense mechanism we displaced from ourselves to ensure the fulfillment of the second tier of Maslow’s hierarchy—safety.

Therefore, boiled down, trust is not a robust law, but an evolutionarily hardwired survival tactic.

It is an unspoken social contract that may be broken should its conditions be betrayed.

Logistically, trust is a fiduciary agreement based on the underlying context of a shared value structure that places mutual interest at the top.

Should this structural integrity be compromised, it could collapse.

This is because trust is not axiomatic. It is not a first principle.

Trust is collateral, like having chips in the casino. It is a secondary reinforcer. In a vacuum, its face value is null and void. The only value it holds is in what we, by consensus, assign it extrinsically.

By this measure, trust has no intrinsic worth.

By all means, treat your fellow human beings with kindness and compassion.

Befriend them.

Love them.

Confide in them, even.

But put your full, unwavering trust in absolutely no one, because, by default, no one is trustworthy to any end besides themselves.

This is not a condemnation, but a word of caution.

Do not be so naive to believe that others would not thwart your needs in order to meet their own.

For as we continue the ascent up Maslow’s hierarchy, beyond the group needs of the third tier, the transmutation of our needs shifts back to the self in the fourth and penultimate tier: esteem.

At last, we summit to the peak. Culminating to a point, we reach the zenith of our transformation. The metamorphosis is complete. At the pinnacle—the fifth and final tier—is self-actualization.

Distilled down to its purest form, selfishness, then, is the highest order of human motivation.

Bear no connotation to this matter, and keeping this in mind, take nothing personally to what others do. Like anyone else, they just want what is best for themselves.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not get matters of life and death, and of love and hate, conflated.

All is fair in love and war.

Life is not an organized team sport with a level playing field, though we must play this game to maintain law and order.

Life is a free-for-all, and all bets are off.

This is not the law of society.

This is the law of the jungle.