Trust. We have less of it these days and with good reason. Dangers have increased and we are much more aware of them then ever before. It’s necessary to be cautious but it’s incredibly sad that it has come to this. I remember an innocent time when we played with our friends around the block from home, with no adult supervision. We weren’t the least bit afraid and neither were our parents. “Stranger Danger” wouldn’t become a part of growing up until many decades later. The world is a scary place and our trust is a precious agreement, to be given and received with the great respect it deserves.
There are still many things we do everyday without thought that require a tremendous amount of trust. Every time we get in a car we are trusting the hundreds of people also on the road with us. We trust bridges to support us over water and traffic lights to work in synch. Pilots and train engineers hold our lives in their hands. When we eat food at a restaurant or enjoy a drink at a bar we trust they were prepared safely. We trust our doctors and other healthcare professionals to treat us ethically and in some cases, save us. Car mechanics, attorneys are given unconditional trust to do the job we expect them to do.
If we are very lucky, we have friends and family we can trust with our deepest, darkest secrets, our hopes, dreams and fears. Our feathered and furry companions trust us to take care of them and to never hurt them. We, in turn, trust them not to bite us or destroy the house when we’re not looking. And we must trust ourselves to follow our instincts, hearts and minds to live the life we want.
Trust still exists. Sure there is a lot to be wary of. But a civilized society requires we have trust in the systems that are in place and in each other. Our identities can be stolen but our humanity cannot.
