Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
GOMER PYLE
I am not a fan of the Gomer Pyle TV show. I loved watching Andy Griffith, but that did not carry over to Gomer's spin off show. I find Gomer Pyle to be annoying and like nails on a chalkboard. I don't see the humor in his idiocy, and I felt great sympathy for Sergeant Carter for having to deal with this dumbass. But Gomer did have one stroke of genius. This was the Gomer Pyle Rule.
Basically, people have one chance to screw you. When you trust people, you are gambling on their character. You are not always going to win on this. Some people have to screw you like the proverbial scorpion on the frog's back. It is their nature. The best you can do is minimize the harm by not giving them a second chance. Even an idiot like Gomer Pyle knew not to do this.
What people fail to recognize is that you have to work to not get fooled the first time. For some reason, bad people think they are owed that first chance. It is like a "freebie" they deserve. I know people like this who just go around screwing people who don't know any better. When you question them on their integrity, they get very defensive. But they are going to screw you. They can't not screw you.
So much of what our society is today is adhering to the Gomer Pyle Rule. Those reviews on Amazon and other places can make you or break you. The sad thing is that many crooks have taken to buying the brands and reputations of other companies, products, and services in order to get around the Gomer Pyle Rule. Private equity firms are notorious for this sort of thing.
On a personal level, I have learned to cut people out of my life in accordance with the Gomer Pyle Rule. Some people have screwed me. Others never got the chance to screw me. Every single one of those people believe themselves to be innocent, trustworthy, and above reproach. This is because the biggest fool they deceive are themselves.
As for your own reputation, you are at the mercy of any fool with a mouth or a keyboard. I have learned to let it roll off me like water off a duck's back. I find that my detractors are people I refuse to let screw me or others. If they talked bad about Jesus, you're not escaping the same treatment.
As for forgiveness, I forgive everyone because I wish to be forgiven. That doesn't require me to be stupid. There is no virtue in allowing yourself to be deceived. I definitely believe in being as wise as a serpent, and the first step in that is adhering to the Gomer Pyle Rule. Gomer Pyle was an idiot, but he was no fool. He learned from his mistakes. You should, too.
