Advice to my children.

People have good intentions in general, but it is good to be cautious. When new people enter your circle it is normal to assess their reliability. You do it consciously or subconsciously because in prehistoric times your life and life of your offspring depended on the people around you, in hunting, in battles, or when you became old and fragile.

When I came for the first time to occidental countries, I was confused with the notion of “friend”, it turns out not only me but all the people who came from the same type of countries. We call “friend” only a small number of people we trust on the gut level. The explanation could be in our history of repressions, where gouvernement agents were everywhere. In our countries, if you trusted the wrong people, life was over for you. It was a selection.

Trust your guts. If you’ve found good people, be an open book. Tell the truth, but your perceived truth could be different, just be honest. When you are a guest respect the local customs. Reputation is everything. Help them sincerely, their success is your success, but it is better to ask if they really need help.