Trust is something we often do by choice. We choose to entrust something to someone without 100% assurance of either safety or success. Of course, we don’t always fully trust the people for whom we choose to demonstrate it. Letting your newly-licensed child drive your car is a display of great trust not always felt. Sometimes we behave according to a level of confidence we do not fully know, but hope to.
The word trust originates from an old Norse word for strong. We tend to have confidence in things which appear to be strong. Sometimes, however, things are not as they appear. Weakness can always hide behind a thin veneer. It’s the inside which determines strength, not the out. Consider the inside of something when placing your trust in it. When faced with a dilemma, a person‘s character, their ethical inner scaffolding, always determines the choices they make. Especially in times of stress and need. It is that part, the inner part, in which we place our trust. Be careful that the TV you’re buying wasn’t for display purposes only.
Then there is the trust we place in others. Not just the people we know. It’s the people we don’t. People we might be afraid of. People whose customs confound us, their language challenges us, and their unknown purpose frightens us. Take the time to realize they are human just like you. Imagine their feelings. Imagine how they might feel if you were to be welcoming of them when others are not. How much do you think they’d value your trust? When we cultivate a sense of belonging with others we are inherently safer from them. Fences may make better neighbors, but walls only make better enemies. Choose trust. It will pay off more often than not.
And for those who have a relationship with a higher power, what do you do with It? How much trust do you give It? How much do you withhold? It’s about letting go, really. A lack of trust in our higher power, or in anything for that matter, is a missed opportunity for inner peace. Place your worries in the hands of something larger than yourself. That is trust. Choosing to believe that there is a purpose to the difficulties you’re experiencing is trust. When you choose to believe in this kind of trust your body downshifts from code red to orange. A whole set of outer-edge defense mechanisms switch off. Standing down a bit from high alert is one of the greatest benefits of having a relationship with a higher power and placing our trust in It. Make an assumption that all shall be well and then behave as if it is already so.
There is danger in the world, yes. There are thieves and liars and cheats, oh my. But I have known criminals whom I’ve trusted. My trust was valuable to them and they generally didn’t betray it. I was statistically safer by just being kind.
Of course others can betray our trust, and often do. But remember again that feeling you had when someone first entrusted you with something precious, how much you wanted to prove yourself worthy of it. If you take a chance on someone and they know you’re doing it with reservations, perhaps, but still doing it, does it keep you safer? Does it enhance the likelihood of a positive outcome? I would say yes. I know my mother’s car was safer, at least to a degree, because of my desire to keep her trust. And keep using her car.
Trust others first and those who betray you will be small in number compared to all those who will be honored by the respect and trust you’ve shown them. Likewise trust in your higher power. Talk to It. Get to know It. Assume there is a greater purpose in all things and place your trust in that.
Trust is not the answer to all problems. There is no panacea here. But if it increases, even by a little bit, the amount of time in your life not spent under the weight of stress, good. You’ll live longer.
When we are more relaxed about our concerns the solutions come easier. Trust in yourself that you are clever enough to at least lighten your burdens if not outright lift them. Live your life trusting others so that you have enough friends to help you with the solutions you can’t pursue on your own. We are none of us an island. Trust may be all we have. Use it both generously and wisely.
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