Trust

Honesty is a curious thing which often relies upon a relationship of trust between a group of people. When people have built a relationship that is based on trust it is fairly easy to be truthful with them; however, when you make judgements of people based on their affiliations with a certain group, or perhaps religious denomination you have to wonder whether those judgements are justified. All of us have been shaped in some way or form by events from the past, and those memories affect our actions in the present and the future. For me, trust is something that is not easily given because of the memories that I have constantly been running away from. Faith is no longer secure because of a breach of trust--I might even go so far as to call it as a betrayal by someone who I once trusted. I have spent the last two years running from anything affiliated with something I perceived to be Christian in nature because I barely survived the last time that trust was broken. This discussion of trust is not merely a personal issue--trust is something that is relevant to the discussion of development that takes place around the world. How do we build trust? How do we instil trust in communities where trust doesn't naturally exist?

Trust is a large part of the lives of any country--as the people need to have trust in their governmental institutions as well as social institutions in order to maintain some sense of stability in which they can develop unhindered towards economic goals. When that trust is breached by a party, ethnic group, or a military group, that nation might be set back years because of how long it takes to begin to build up again and to create trust between groups where trust has been broken. Trust not only needs to exist between people and their governments, but between nations in the hope that they are not each preparing to attack each other. If nations can secure peace, it gives an opportunity to attract investment and projects that can be utilized in the long term; however, if war occurs frequently, that investment is unlikely. Curing grievances from breaches of trust is a crucial element to stability in any nation, in any party, in any social group.

I guess the reason I focused on trust was in part because it's an issue that's been on my mind a lot lately; especially as I grapple with issues that I don't necessarily feel comfortable talking about, which bothers me, because I enjoy hanging with these people I'm here with. I enjoy their company--but because of my past....my story is mine alone.