Trust is a fascinating thing and the fabric of every element of social living.  Without it, things quickly fall apart.  You can see this by starting with the relationship you have with yourself. For example, what happens to someone when they can no longer trust their senses?  There are people who struggle with hallucinations because of mental health issues.  They hear things that are not physically present, see things that are not there, and sometimes feel sensations in their body that aren’t real.  For these people, the world is exceptionally unpredictable, and they cannot believe the messages their neurological system is sending them.  Therefore, their world falls apart and what is real becomes an impossibility and something they believe they cannot know.  Trust in what we sense is an important element for being able to engage the world surrounding us.

Trust between husband and wife is an essential element of a good marriage.  Without it, they will continually be suspicious of one another and incapable of functioning as a unit.  They cannot share the resources necessary for building a life together.  A shared life is one in which two people give of themselves for something bigger than who they are individually.  To do that, however, requires one partner to trust that the other will share themselves and not just take from the relationship selfishly.  Parenting requires children to trust their parents.  If a parent tells a child that what they’re doing, saying, or feeling is dangerous, unhealthy, or inappropriate the child must trust this to be true.  Otherwise, any requirements a parent asks of a child would be seen through the lens of suspicion and therefore something that has little effect in their lives.  Parents must build trust in their relationships with their children to at least dampen down the already persistent element of human nature which is to “Do whatever I want.”

At this point, you can see where I’m headed in this post.  Trust is essential otherwise our world falls apart.  My fear is that we currently live in a world where trust is broken maybe even absent.  You have been convinced that scientific research cannot be trusted, older people in your life are not wise and therefore should not be trusted, that the physical reality about who you are is unessential, that governments are false, and that there is a deep state making things happen, that you can believe what you want and feel, and it will be so, etc.  The damage this has created is beginning to creep into the lives of almost every human being on the planet.  Being able to think critically is important and I am not suggesting we just act like sheep and follow the narrative that someone spins on television or through the wonderfully accurate reports on social media (Sarcasm implied here).  However, I am concerned so many of us are untrusting of the basic elements of reality.  I believe it’s causing irreparable damage to our ability to function as a larger society.  There are realities in life that must be acknowledged, and we must find a way to trust the authoritative sources that present that reality.  Our senses are one of those sources, honest friendships, historical facts, biological realities, and basic human needs are others that need serious consideration.  For example, a human being must find shelter against the elements, feed oneself, clothe oneself, maintain a sense of safety, etc.  Today, that’s generally done by finding work that can meet the economic needs of your real state of life.  You may want to be a social influencer and be okay living in your parent’s basement, but the reality is someday, if that doesn’t work, you need to pay for a basement of your own.  Trust the fact reality is going to smack you right in the homeless face.

Trust is essential.  Trusting your experience, trusting those in authority, and trusting how the world works from the most basic survival requirements to the most complex social situations is really important.  Much of that trust is broken because of corruption and lies.  The question I have is how we can develop a real sense of trust to counter our escape from what is real?  Perhaps we can talk about that in the next post.