Yes, I cringe at the thought from time to time, considering where he ended up.
Even though years of adulthood had tempered my expectations since then, that sense of naive optimism never left me. I like to think that most people are inherently good-natured and act in good faith.
To some, that is foolishness. According to them, you should always assume that everyone else is out to get you and you should exploit every opportunity to gain an advantage over your adversaries.
It doesn’t matter if the threat was...