Hindsight is always 20/20, eh?
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt too.
I'm thinking some of us, especially those of us who always seem to have to take the long, bumpy road of learning the hard way, need to experience great extremes of hope fading to bleak disillusionment before we can learn. Hopefully, we learn to recognize the patterns so the painful lessons of trusting too much, of jumping with both feet before seeking all perspectives and landing on sharp rocks, stop - at least for this type of lesson.
After being so painfully deceived by every religion I adopted and then countless trips down New Age Avenue, I still catch myself trusting where I shouldn't. But at least I am catching myself. I really hope I continue on this path and get to the point that the automatic trusting comes to an end and is replaced by a more objective manner of discernment. It is truly a bugger of a buffer.
Gonzo