Windows kept asking me to trust it while giving me fewer reasons to do so.
The privacy side bothered me first. More things were being collected, more decisions were being made for me, and more parts of the system felt like they belonged to Microsoft instead of the person sitting in front of the screen. At the same time, it also started feeling less reliable. Updates could change things without asking, settings moved around, and problems appeared that I never invited.
Arch feels like the exact opposite. It does not pretend to protect me from every decision. It gives me control, but it also expects me to understand what I am doing. I have to think about what I install, what services I use, and how I protect myself. That is more responsibility, but at least it is honest responsibility.
I would rather maintain a system that respects my choices than depend on one that keeps taking choices away. Arch can be annoying. Sometimes I break something. Sometimes an update needs attention. Still, when it works, it feels like my computer.