When you don’t have all the information to make a judgment call, what would you do?
One way is to judge based on the information you hear. Believing it and acting as if it’s true.
The other way is to give people the benefit of the doubt. Instead of believing what you heard, you choose to extend your trust and believe the goodwill to others. Even they may not have earned it yet.
Giving others the benefit of the doubt has nothing to do with the proof we have or the entitlement they have earned but more about the act of fairness and generosity.