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I trust that my cat won’t eat my face off in the middle of the night. That kind of trust is pretty important.
Trust is a tricky thing. It seems like it always has condition attached or underlying factors that merit the trust. With our cat for example, he trusts that someone in the family will feed him every day. If that trust is broken he may break his trust, and then I wake up faceless.
It looks like trust is a give and take. It has to be held by both sides.
I wish trust were more universal and more of a default. I wish I could walk down any street in any city and feel completely comfortable, trusting every person that I meet. I wish I could trust that I’ll be safe, that I won’t get robbed, that I won’t be attacked, that I won’t get hustled, that others will look out for my interests in addition to their own.
I wonder if everyone in this world were honest, would mean that everyone could be trusted? Is honesty the basis for trust? I think it’s a good start. If someone is honest and they promise to meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can trust that they will be there. Or can I? Honesty in that situation doesn’t account for traffic, acts of nature, or a more important event. I suppose that’s where I have to trust that the other person did their best to make our appointment. In a case like this, I could trust the person, but might not trust in their ability to show up. The more I think about it, the harder it seems to nail down.
You just can’t pin down trust. Trust is more of a variable based on countless other factors. It has to account for past history of performance, honesty, loyalty, an ability to plan, an ability to follow through, and probably countless more factors. And what about trusting someone you’ve just met. Then you have to go by reputation, appearance, and instinct.
Actually, maybe that instinct portion is the key. Maybe trust is mostly comprised of the feeling we get about another individual. It’s a sum of so many things that we have to kick it over to our instincts, gut feelings, and intuition. I’m sure some of the trust factors float through our heads when we determine the trustworthiness of someone, but I think feeling plays more of a factor than logic.
I’ve seen a few apocalypse movies lately, and a central factor in any end of the world scenario is trust. When you are fighting for survival, and for scarce food and water, it becomes hard to trust. The world really falls apart fast without a level of trust between individuals. It’s impossible to form any kind of group, much less rebuild a society. Trusting the wrong people after the apocalypse will get you killed though. In these situations, the trust must be beneficial to both parties.
I suspect this mutually beneficial level of trust is needed in today’s pre-apocalypse society also. It’s the reason I can walk down many streets and feel safe. It’s in my best interest to live in a safe environment, to not risk harm to myself, and to avoid arrest. Others in society have these same interests, thus creating a basis for trust.
I’m going to hope that we, as a society, can eventually get to a point where we can all trust each other; where it’s in everyone’s best interest to live in a safe, prosperous, and loving society. I hope for a day when everyone desires to live in a bliss filled peaceful society, and because of this mutually beneficial desire we all grow more trusting of one-another.
The RAOKA mission seeks to remind us that Random Acts of Kick Arse happen all around us—and also to spread the spirit. Each month, one of us RAOKA groupies picks a new theme to focus our attention toward positivity and goodness in this world. If you’d like to participate, just add a post to your blog on this month’s topic and enter your link below.
Now that you’ve read my thoughts on Trust, check out the other RAOKA participants listed below. Before you head off though, scroll on down and leave a comment with your own thoughts on trust! Thanks!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Eric, you’re so right in that Trust is often based more on intuition than on evidence. And even “Trusting” one’s intuition can be tough sometimes.
I guess it always, at least partially, comes back to trust in ourselves, or at least in the source of that inner voice that either tells us it’s okay, or warns us to stay away.
Gayze (Gazehound’s Animal Communication)´s last [type] ..RAOKA for July- Trust
Good insight Gayze. I think you’re right, it does come back to trust in ourselves.
Hi Eric,
I think you’re right. The world really does fall apart when trust evaporates. Trust really is the glue that holds all relationships together isn’t it?
I stand beside you with this desire Eric “I hope for a day when everyone desires to live in a bliss filled peaceful society, and because of this mutually beneficial desire we all grow more trusting of one-another.” Amen
Keith´s last [type] ..TRUST!
Keith, I’m glad to have you standing beside me. I hope that together we can make a change for the better.
Eric,
Two thumbs up! I love this post. You are so right, trust has many variables. It is totally perspective and not universal. To be honest, the only person I truly trust is myself. I know when I am right, wrong, telling the truth, giving maximum effort, accountable etc etc. I can not say the same about any other person.
This is a great topic. I’ve been busy so I didn’t submit mine. My post would’ve probably been similar to this though. Great minds do think alike!
Peaces!
S. Ali Myers – Soulful Body & Mind´s last [type] ..Interview with Mimi Kirk PETAs Sexiest Vegetarian Over 50 & Raw Vegan Foodist
Yes Ali, we do think alike on many topics. Isn’t it odd that we can only truly trust ourselves? I mean, it’s true but it’s still odd. It’s true because humans have a strong self interest that can affect trust, as in the apocalypse example.
PS. Everyone should check out Ali’s Interview with Mimi Kirk, it’s a very interesting interview.
Hi Eric,
Your comment about your cat made me laugh! I had a crazed cat once and I actually did think she’d go off the deep end one night and get rid of her care taker (me). She was crazy and I ended up naming her “Cujo”. (LOL)
I like your take on trust and how you elevated it to a societal level. Good point! In certain major city centers, there are definitely streets I won’t walk at night — and that makes me sad. I wish we could all get along, loose the fear and create more trust.
I love this line: “it’s in everyone’s best interest to live in a safe, prosperous, and loving society.”
Thanks for sharing this post, Eric, and for all your support.
~xo
Lori´s last [type] ..RAOKA- Trust
Lori, luckily our cat is pretty sane. Have you seen this: http://www.catswhothrowupgrass.com/kill.php.
Hi eric,
My take is that trust is part intuition and part experience; we can go by our gut feelings but also have to see what happened before in a similar situation in order to “round” that opinion to a more realistic one.
Raul
Alien Ghost´s last [type] ..The Problem With Life
Raul, you’re right, experience is definitely a big factor. I think sometimes it’s so much of a factor that we forget to pay attention to the intuitive factor.
Eric,
Great post! I wish one day our society would turn into one that I can fully embed my trust in. But I feel like there is a little bit more to trust than just honesty. Such are unspoken agreements between you and your cat, I think trust is more about fulfilling someone’s expectations. They trust you to do something, so you do it. That trust can take many forms, and one of them is through words, being honest.
That being said I think a utopian society where trust is no problem at all is certainly attainable. I just don’t feel like humanity is going in the right direction right now.
Yu, It does seem that we are headed down the wrong path, at least when humanity is viewed as a whole. I think there are pockets of people headed in the right direction. I like finding these people and talking with them. I like to think that part of what I do here at Eden Journal is cause people to think, and consider the direction they want to head. I think many of us bloggers are doing this, and I hope we can make a difference in our world.