The Charity Test

Before assigning malice, run every ambiguous action through the charity test: can you construct a plausible innocent explanation? If yes, assume that one until evidence rules it out.

This is not naivety — it is a statistical bet. The base rate for genuine malice in everyday interactions is far lower than the base rate for carelessness, miscommunication, bad days, and competing priorities. Most slights are accidental, and most silences are about the other person's workload, not your importance.

Applied consistently, the charity test buys you calmer relationships and fewer pointless conflicts. You stop spending emotional energy on phantom enemies.