No one likes being screwed over. But the only thing worse than being screwed over is the fear of being screwed over.
If you’re overly afraid of being screwed over at work, you won’t take the chance that will get you the responsibilities that will make you come alive.
If you’re overly afraid of being screwed over in love, you won’t take the chance to be vulnerable with the people you’re attracted to – and you’ll find yourself alone.
But you know what’s the worst thing of all?
If you’re overly afraid of being screwed over, you might go through your whole life without experiencing (or at least acknowledging) being screwed over. And one day, when someone screws over your kids (or anyone else you love), you won’t have the experience to help them.
Don’t you want to be able to tell your kids about your travels, your jobs, your friends, your dates, your sports? You have to accrue a whole bunch of experiences like these to be a really adequate guide for the next generation. One of those experiences should be the experience of being hated, despised, attacked, undermined, hurt, betrayed, etc.
Suffering doesn’t have much going for it, but it is (like all experiences) a teacher. If you’re unwilling and afraid to submit to it, you won’t learn. But if you go boldly into the fray of life – accepting the possibility that you’ll be screwed over – you’ll *at the very least* learn something valuable about suffering.
It can make the prospect of being screwed over far less terrifying to know that some great good can come of it. Face up to being screwed over, and do it for the children – even if you don’t have any yet.