At what point does discernment stop being a tool, and starts becoming a shield?
When trauma reshapes your mindset; the line between the two becomes incredibly thin. Damn near impossible to tell.
They would have you believe, that discernment is the ability to choose reality wisely, and using it as a shield is to escape all vulnerability with having to make a choice at all. But – wouldn’t that in and of itself self be discernment?
If the data shows that opening up will lead to catastrophic loss, then the most rational and logical choice you can make to survive is to build a wall.
And in that context, the shield isn’t a failure of discernment, it becomes the pinnacle of it.
And, if someone is already psychologically wounded then preserving what is left of their capacity becomes part of the calculation. In that state, the question isn’t simply “is this person/situation trustworthy?” It is “can I survive being wrong”
And a lot of times, the inability to trust isn’t about another person; it’s about the ability to trust your own judgement and the cost on if you chose wrong.
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