By ToyinboOlumide
“There are weapons that are simply thoughts. For the record, suspicion can kill and prejudice can destroy…” –Rod Serling
Apart from some obvious issues that kill relationships, suspicion also kills relationships- whether interpersonal or communal. Just like water kills fire, it has the ability to kill a blossoming relationship.
Suspicion can be something that is perceived by a person but he or she lacks confidence or reasons to make enquiries from the person suspected, no matter the case maybe, so as to prevent some other issues from arising.
Such persons hold such ‘un-reliable’ information to themselves, thinking it is true, no matter how hard to believe it is. It is just a belief without adequate proof. It can be ear-says or unsolicited information from friends during discussions. It can be out of speculations, ‘stalking’ or eavesdrop.
This leads to the object of suspicion being punished whether physically or emotionally for an act not committed. It breeds mistrust which kills a relationship at the long run if not addressed properly. Once trust is gone, love takes no second to vacate the relationship, just like darkness vanishes at the sight of light.
Suspicion can kill any relationship, not only romantic ones. It can kill relationship between friends. When I was in secondary school, I found myself unconsciously in something to be called a clique, though; we never saw it like that. We saw ourselves as just a group of friends always studying together. But there is one of us that time, he is always suspecting and guessing, he is an expert in ‘suspecting ‘ but funnily, he always suspect wrongly and harms are always done. That friend of mine would always bump into discussions saying ‘you guys are always discussing me behind my back’. Then, we would jokingly say that ‘even the dead are still being talked about, so he should calm down’ but seriously, we were discussing something else. Sooner, we discovered that he withdrew from the so-called study group, just because he was always suspecting and that made him to have a strong distrust for everyone. Someone that is susceptive and very nosy will always find it hard to trust anyone to a reasonable extent.
Though, no one can be trusted but there are some reasonable lengths in which you should trust some persons. If there is any object causing suspicion, it is always better to investigate constructively or enquire from the person rather than acting based on unverified information which may be false.
Even in politics, citizens rebuke corrupt politicians relentlessly, but they regard the ‘acclaimed’ honest politicians with silent suspicion. The first thing they do when they hear of a supposedly ‘honest’ politician is to grin or sigh. It is a cliché that there is no honest politicians anywhere especially in Nigeria here, even if there is one, suspicion leading to lack of trust will not make him to be trusted. Our always suspecting mind will never make us believe or trust any politician if nothing is not attached that mandated such trust. Citizens are always suspecting that the occupants of the political corridors are always doing something wrong. Such was the view shared by AravindAdiga in India.
Suspicion is something that has killed many relationships especially romantic ones, it is killing some right now and it will still kill some. Such is life. That’s the case with sugar too. We were told from time immemorial that sugar is not good for our health, people keep taking it, it affected some heinously, it is affecting some and it will still affect more because many will not listen; only few will. Clear all doubt, verify before you judge or act based on that information, guess what! There might be no skeleton inside that cupboard. #SuspiciousKills #BelievingBeliefsWithoutProofIsDangerous #shunIt
Check out some quotes on suspicion:
Suspicion is a heavy armour and with its weight it impedes more than it protects- Robert Burns
Conflict grows out of ignorance and suspicion– Gordon B. Hinckley
