Don’t stand in the Sucker Circle

Try hard not to defend yourself when you’re falsely accused. It happens a little more than now and then, or it wouldn’t have merited a commandment. But put yourself in a position, more often than not, tangibly and emotionally, of having little to lose from it. As a general rule, if people can take something from you, sooner or later they’ll try, even if they don’t need to. What did Francis of Assisi say? “If we had possessions, we’d have to worry about thieves.” Never, though, step into the position of needing to prove your innocence; it’s a sucker’s spot. Once you know how not to step there, you can shrug and let people think what they want. Own nothing in a world of someone else’s making.