To me Trust is a belief in the reliability that something physical will work predictably all the time. Trust in another person means the dependability and belief that that person will live up to my expectations of them. Trust is at the center of my belief that gravity will continue to hold me onto the ground instead of me floating into the sky. Trust is at the heart of all of my relationships, the glue that binds me together with others especially during the most stressful of times. It is the faith that allows me to rely on others to do what I expect of them so I can better do my job, live my life, and function in society. I’m told that trust is an essential part of law enforcement and the armed forces where partners and comrades at arms look after the welfare of one another to unconditionally put their lives on the line during combat conditions. Trust plays an important role in team sports where teammates must depend upon other team members to faithfully play in the team’s efforts to win. Trust can also be shared by a group of believers in a religious context that some power beyond themselves will look after their welfare. Trust is the basis of hope that the future will be more rewarding than the present or past whether there is any basis in fact or not. Trust is the belief and faith that certain future expectations will be fulfilled.  It is essential when sending people willingly into harms way that the objective is worth the risk.

When I feel trust betrayed that relationship is broken often forever. Chronic fears are sometimes triggered by a traumatic event that changes one’s perspective and elevates one’s fears of something forever where trust has been destroyed. A few years ago I was walking down the stairs and tripped, fell, and cutting my head which bled profusely. After that event I hold on the handrail and walk down the stairs far more cautiously. Trust is so important in keeping us within our comfort zone of the familiar. Without Trust we become suspicious, anxious, uncertain, and distrustful of others around us or our physical surroundings. It can drive some into paranoia. Distrust is a dark and frightening abyss where certainty and security does not exist. Trust is essential in maintaining a positive outlook on life and to be effectively functional. One must trust that they will be safe and sound tomorrow so one can look forward to a future. When a person is told of a diagnosis of a terminal illness their first instinct is denial and distrust of the diagnosis. They panic and see nothing but the darkness of an unfamiliar and frightening end of life. But eventually reality sets in and the loneliness of despair and fear reduce in intensity and they start trusting each moment of living instead of the dark abyss of the end. In a way this is a healing process of the mind to take away the fear of the unknowing and better prepare for it. But it is inevitable for all of us. We simply put it out of our minds so we can function in our daily lives of living unless faced with its impending end.

It is amazing how so much of our lives is based upon trust which is often unwarranted. We drive our cars trusting that we won’t have an accident. We walk the streets trusting that we won’t be hit by a car or robbed or otherwise harmed. We wake up in the morning trusting this will not be our last day on earth. We go to sleep at night trusting that we will wake in the morning. We love our spouse trusting that we will not be betrayed. We talk confidentially with our best friends trusting that they will not betray our trust.  We interact with other people trusting that they will do us no harm. We even confide in our pets trusting they will not betray us.  Our world depends upon the illusion of trust. But without it we cannot function out of paranoia of a totally unpredictable future like being under intense bombardment and not knowing if the next bomb will have your name.

So Trust, whether real or perceived, is essential for human functionality, for without it we would loose our minds in the paranoia of fear, uncertainty, and indecision.  But in real life Trust must be tempered with some caution and distrust because there are people and forces out there that do not have your best interests in mind.  Trust with wisdom and rationality assuming it exists for you.