I want to presume it is a benevolent world. It is my world after all and the only world I have. I try to make my default attitude to see the world as a welcoming place filled with welcoming people. I, in turn, want to carry that attitude to all encounters with the world, especially people. I want the person in the check-out line to feel validated and seen. I want the people walking by my home to feel at ease and enjoy being close to my presence. I want to taste the joy of being present to others.
It doesn’t, however, always work that way. As much as I want to presume that everyone around me has a benevolent attitude toward me, I am also aware that is not always true. I do have my moments of caution. I am alert to the malevolence of others as I pull into my garage late at night. I am aware that others who live very near to me have been assaulted with guns. I am aware that there is a clear profile of those who have assaulted my neighbors.
So how do I balance this? I guess that I don’t always presume that I live in a benevolent world. There are others who are willing to harm me and others. So I mix a token of attentive caution in my presumption of benevolence.
I still open and close my days with an open heart, aspiring to connect with the world in a deep and intimate manner. This I aspire to, in spite of the lurking dangers. I still default to presuming benevolence, at least until I see signals of something else.