On the Nature of Trust

Trust.

It’s an interesting concept. I see many people struggling with who and what to trust, nowadays.

I completely trust my best friend. I trust her love and compassion for me.

And I trust her to be about ten minutes late to most things.

I used to think I couldn’t trust her to be timely. But, in truth, she not only was completely consistent in her loose timing, but acknowledges this quality about herself. Rather than feel resentment, I have learned to consider this behavior in our interactions. I now trust what I have been shown and act accordingly.

People—individually or within organizations, industry and government—show us who they are all the time. Our challenge is our willingness to see and accept what we are shown.

Often, we don’t choose to do this. In my experience, many of us subconsciously prefer an attachment to a core belief that people can’t be trusted. Or that people deceive or betray me. These are patterns that are imprinted in childhood. If we never process and integrate them in a healthy way, we will continue to project them onto people and situations in our life.

Trust is a complicated concept, of course. And it means different things to different people. But as you continue to navigate your way through so much information and disinformation, nowadays, pull the camera back and assess your relationship with trust, in general. Because it absolutely informs your daily experience of vetting information, resources and people.