They say that repeated hurt hardens you, that it carves calluses on the soul. But I wasn’t like that. Even after countless betrayals, I continued to trust. Perhaps I possessed some naive ability to see beyond immediate behavior, a belief that given enough chances, people could change. After all, the scientific literature suggests a common root for addiction, many mental disorders, and much of what ails society: the fundamental human need to be loved. It's a complex interplay of mind and body, a fleeting window in the infinite realm of brain activity and emotional response. Most people can't perceive this, lacking the understanding of human behavior necessary to see it as the complex neurochemical dance it truly is.