"Could the milk man be the devil?" , by Erik Pevernagie, 100 x 80 cm, Oil on canvas. . xx

Milkmen are examples of convivial and trustworthy people in society. They come in the morning and put their milk bottles on our doorstep. We highly cherish this image in our daily lives. Lately, though, many people have been infected by distressing events and criminal reports. Distrust has infected the once-open and cordial mood among the members of many communities.

How can we avoid becoming paranoiac if allegedly reliable individuals have turned into devils and victimized us?

The milkman symbolizes trust and reliability but can also become the devil, highlighting the fear of betrayal. This fear can lead to paranoia when distressing events and criminal acts shake our sense of security.

In 2006, milkman Charlie Roberts walked into an Amish school in Pennsylvania and shot ten of the girls before turning the gun on himself. Five died: the youngest two were seven, and the oldest was twelve. The quiet, friendly milkman and family father was a devil, the embodiment of evil. His mother, Terri Roberts, doesn't understand: My son, the mass murderer: "What did I miss? How could he leave his wife a widow and his children fatherless? Leave them to face the shame and the horror? And the gentle Amish families he had come to know so well in his rounds collecting milk. What darkness and evil could so possess his mind that he would want to hurt them? To rip away daughters as precious as his own? To inflict such pain and loss on another living soul?"

If we want to avoid becoming overly paranoid and still maintain a healthy level of vigilance, we must balance trust and caution without letting fear dominate our interactions with others or living only on assumptions or stereotypes.

Let us be vigilant and beware of people who keep muddying the waters, throwing up smoke screens, and clouding issues to make their dubious motivations less apparent.

Let us be critical when the shine is wearing off, and the underlying cracks of a garlanded lifestyle become painfully apparent. Reality may inexorably take its toll and gruelingly reveal the presence of blatant and hideous gaps.

Let us be alert when some name-dropping and eye-rolling chin-strokers try to snow us under with an avalanche of swollen narratives. We must never resist puncturing the blown-up balloons of their twisted, too-good-to-be-true stories. The sound of bursting balloons may ring like ravishing music in the ears.

It is crucial not to let fear and distrust consume us. Instead, we must empower ourselves with critical thinking and engage in open discussions to navigate unsettling landscapes.

Phenomenon : Reliability , distrust and doubt

Factual starting point : milk bottle and devil's tail

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