That is liberating, I agree, but it winnows the field of people you can trust to well, nil.
I look back at my younger days and how I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and thought that most people were inherently decent. Perhaps they were then, I dunno.
A blatantly dishonest media and thoroughly corrupt government at all levels doesn’t do much to help the situation on a national level.
I now assume everyone is lying until they have proven themselves with _years_ of truth telling, including situations in which telling the truth could put their livelihood and/or social standing at risk.