benefit

benefit of the doubt.

it's a common phrase, frequently used. but i think the full weight of the expression is less frequently considered.

by definition, it admits a doubt. and then, it sets the doubt aside for the moment, and commits to the possibility that it's in error.

truly it's the real life, day-to-day, less-pollyanna, more-heloise, version of glass half-full optimism. and i think it deserves a prominent place in our lives. with children, with coworkers, with friends, with lovers, with family members, even with strangers.

strangers (and maybe some coworkers) aside, because admittedly that's a different proposition, i believe that the people we are closest to deserve the benefit, rather than the handicap, of our doubts.

handicap is the correct antithesis to benefit, isn't it? (my trusty thesaurus says it is.) i think so. because ultimately doubt has the power to handicap, the power to paralyze, the power to destroy, all by itself, without the validation of veracity.

and on the other hand, benefit implies good. literally coming from the root word bene- (latin for well) and closely related to benefaction, benefit is a gift. a gift of kindness. a gift of compassion.

i think it comes naturally to people when they mediate children. certainly i remind my boys of this concept when one bumps into the other, steps on the other's foot, or otherwise maims their brother claiming 'accident!' maybe, maybe not, right? in other words, doubt. but, i say, err on the side of compassion. err on the side of kindness. err on the side of benefit.

after all, doubt can only exist in the absence of understanding and understanding can only exist in the presence of compassion.

d: benefit of the doubt as a rule
b: it is my rule
g: so much benefit in the compassion