I understand a bit about life. I understand that the world as I know it, runs pretty much on the concepts of buying and selling. Hopefully buy low – sell high. I understand the ideas of population growth, and that more people are buying things today than in the early days, mainly because there are more people.

The market grows and more products get invented.

Of course, it just makes sense that new inventions can’t keep up with the demand for new. This means that a lot of new things are not really new. Competition is a necessary part of today’s product market. It means there are a lot of products that are similar, or sometimes identical.

I also understand that classes exist. The rich, like to feel rich, and so inferior products must exist at lower prices, even if the actual costs to manufacture are the same. Some products are made crappy on purpose, just to give the upper class the right to superiority.

I understand that one of the great inventions to help the whole concept was built-in obsolesce/ Products that are designed to fail, simply so they can stay in business. No products are bought only once.

I understand that crime continues to exist, not only because it provides needed jobs on both sides of the law, but also because theft is a great reason to replace, and help maintain sales.

I understand these things.

I’m just sad that these trends are crushing the trust of our society, and that seems like a pretty major blow to the so-called American dream and way of life.

The truth is, marketing to make sales has crossed a line, and I fear it may be to late to turn back. Our children will grow up without trust. When a man on TV tells us something, we won’t believe him. I already don’t.

He’ll say I need something. This is the best product. He’ll tell me features.

I’ll know inside, it’s fake. I’m sad about that.

When I read my email, I read stock tips. I know not to pay attention to them. I read messages that tell me I have won a trip. I know not to reply. I see banner ads that congratulate me for being the 15,000the visitor, and I don’t click.

I see the words FREE, and they don’t have asterisks. I yawn, and move on, not even curious what I am missing because I have learned free means I have to pay something in today’s lingo.

I am sad. I think sometimes; “what if I am missing a legit contest”, but the thought passes. I know there are no legitimate Internet contests anymore. No legitimate FREE. I didn’t win any trips, and no Nigerians willing to pay me $500,000 to help them transfer estate funds.

I must admit to not needing them, but I am fairly sure I probably can’t even trust the ads for cheap Canadian medications to help me stay hard and please my women.

I’m having some difficulty figuring out where to draw my line of trust. I still trust the faceless masses on EBay, but I’ve heard stories that trust is being taken over by evil there too. I get at least 2 or 3 PayPal or EBay messages every day spoofing a fake address asking me to send my password. Even my own bank has told me to disbelieve any email they send me.

EMail has almost totally been destroyed. I’m not sure my mother’s letters are really from her.

If she asks me for my transit numbers, I’ll know for sure.

The most dangerous thing I can do with my credit cards is actually use them in a store. The rate of that type of fraud has passed Internet fraud, which I find scary, and a little ironic for all those people who thought that trust was an online issue only.

Sadly, it goes beyond. We can’t trust the news either. Photos are redrawn and we only hear about the celebrity head swaps or airbrished pimples occasionally, but the loss of trust in me knows it’s happening everywhere else too. War photos are fictional, and news reports are made up. News is being reported without fact checks, and bloggers are winning respect.

News became entertainment years ago, but the competition has made it ugly.

In my life, I’ve always tried to do the right thing. Be fair, honest, and somebody my mother is proud to show off to her friends. I believe that inside care, about what my mother thinks keeps me on this side of evil. I sincerely like trust, and want to do well for the people I interact with.

If I didn’t have that feeling, I think I might be one of them. The people who feel the money they win, or earn is more important than trust, or truth, or laws. Success isn’t based on anything but cash. You buy my product or service, even if it means you get a rash.

They don’t care. They can’t.

I’m sad.

I can’t trust them. And because of this, I can’t trust anybody else.

Is it me?