TRUST – The Greatest Commodity to Life?

Through the many turns of life, I have come to accept the enormous impact of trust to human existence. Giving it a good thought will make you realize a whole lot of human existence is based on the very priceless commodity of trust.

The Meriam Webster Dictionary’s definition of trust can be found below:

Definition of trust
1a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
b: one in which confidence is placed
2a: dependence on something future or contingent : HOPE

Since creation, humanity has had its roots in the soils of relationships and interdependence.  In stark reality, even those who have climbed highest above the apex of Marslows heirarchy of needs still remain dependent on the services or ability of others. No matter how much bargaining power a man has, they will surely need a commodity to bargain for. However the readiness to embrace that reliance or bargain is not holistically embedded in the need for that particular service or ability, but also how trustworthy it could be. 

Sub-conciously, we all trade out leaps of trust on daily basis without knowing we actually have. Stepping out of your abode to board a taxi cab to the next destination isn’t done as a routine but somehow, you have traded your trust for the ability of the driver to take you safely to the expected end. Who would comfortably hop into a cab they know is destined for a road traffic accident?

You feel feverish and decide to pick yourself up to the clinic. You sub-conciously have the trust that the staff in the building down the road have what it takes to alleviate that ill feeling. What happens when you start to feel their modalities of management aren’t working as expected? Are you not likely to seek for options elsewhere? Gradually you would be loosing trust in that facility. 

Several advertisements you see on TV and listen on radio by businesses work on gaining the trust of their customers. By putting an advertisement out there, they hammer on the  strengths and necessities of their product repeatedly to the effect of sub-consciously creating a trust button in you. When ever you have the slightest need of that service, because of the account in the advertisement, you feel that could be a go to end for your need. 

Let us consider a few principles upon which TRUST is founded

1. RECIPROCITY: This is one of the greatest principles upon which trust is based. That there is equal satisfaction. That at any point in time the two parties involved shall reproducibly have their expected results. So be it a business transaction, the party making the purchase has the assurance of quality being delivered at the best price whiles the seller is also assured of no fraudulent act as well as consistency with regards to payment ethics. In simple terms, if I feel and you also feel either of us will always get the expected mutual response with an undiluted measure of reproducibility, then trust will be established. 

2. TRANSPARENCY: Have you ever seen any worthwhile relationship founded on mistrust? Whenever a party in a duo feels vital information is being hidden from them, there is the tendency of mistrust to creep in. If you ever aim at winning the trust of any individual, though it may taste bitter, be transparent with them. As discomforting as your transparency may make them feel, it leaves a mark of trust in their hearts for you. 

3. CONSISTENCY: Show me a man who isn’t consistent in his ways and has earned the trust of fellow men. Consistency is the act of ensuring reproducible exactness with regards to a particular issue. People will easily learn to trust if you are noted for a particular trait. 

Having stated the above you would without a blink of an eyelid bear with me that when people live without trust – consciously or otherwise, the effect may be largely detrimental. Don’t we tend to see people who have such “trust issues” as being a bit paranoid? 

Let us examine a few circumstances where the lack of trust halts so much progress in our daily lives. 

1. Profit making and Investments: pick your phone, start questioning those on your contact list about some business ideas they may have and why they haven’t brought them to reality. Their first two responses would be, money to start and someone to trust. Because of prior experiences, almost everyone feel the next person might not be trustworthy enough. That is  a great detriment to investing and profit. There are many people who would have changed the fortunes of their lives if they had trusted fellow people a little bit more and partnered with them to raise the requisite capital need to put their ideas before the market of the world. To this end, many people resort to putting finances into policies like bonds, trusts, treasury bills – where the risk of mistrust is low and the income akin. This is on the single satisfaction of trust that their funds would remain safe nonetheless. 

2. Healthy Relationships: The issue of trust ruins existing relationships and many at times prevents the formation of others which would have been positively life changing. For the fear of disappointment and heartbreaks, many resort to keeping their emotions and affection either to themselves or hidden in the dark of mistrust. Those who dare to give love a chance end up for many years witholding from their partners the treasure of love they do carry. 

Having said the above, it is worthy to note that everyone you meet in life deserves a chance at your trust and the same person deserves not the entirety of that. It takes time to build optimum trust in people. 

TAKE HOME; 

What would be more important in dealing with issues of trust is to be open minded and handle people as individuals, and not cluster circumstances together to serve them a single deal of mistrust. May we find the right balance of Grace when it comes to the issues of trust. 

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