I finally understand what Machiavelli meant when he said, "Never play fair in a game where others cheat." It doesn't mean become evil. It means stop being naive. Stop bringing honesty to people who study manipulation, stop giving access to people who weaponize closeness, and stop expecting clean hands from people who already showed you they'll throw dirt.
Sometimes wisdom is not revenge.
Sometimes wisdom is learning the rules of the room before the room uses your goodness against you.
I don’t play the victim. If I become the villain, I’ll tell you exactly how it happened & why. I own my reactions to disrespect. What I don’t do is pretend things came out of nowhere. I don’t start chaos but I do end cycles! & unlike liars, I stand on what I did & why I did it.