Who Do You Trust?

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It’s an interesting word isn’t it? Trust. Covers a lot of ground. It’s even printed on our money.

We put money in “trusts.” There was a 50s TV show called, “Who Do You Trust.” But do we really understand the word?

What Does Trust Mean?

We often throw trust out as an afterthought. “Go on, I trust you.” Or, “What’s the matter don’t you trust me?”

“I trust you’ll come out of this Okay.” “I’m putting my complete trust in you.”

We’ve all heard those statements and maybe even said them ourselves.

We supposedly try to elect “trustworthy” politicians. But can we trust them to do the right thing?

Does the “trust” word carry more weight with the person saying it or the person hearing it? One sets the bar but does the other know the height or the bar?

Sort of like — on a scale of 1 to 10 how much do you trust me? I won’t take money out of the cash register but I might “borrow” a box of paper clips.

Is Trust Out The Window?

I guess if your measure is the legal system, or politics, then yes — it probably has. We embellish stories and theories and bury facts.

How many Illinois governors have gone to prison in the past few years? I’m losing count.

Financial guru, Bernie Madoff, stole $50 billion dollars from investors who trusted him with their money. In some victim’s cases their life savings.

Some Final Thoughts

Trust can be confusing. Levels and definitions run a gamut of emotions. It’s one of those things where the levels vary depending on the circumstances.

So I guess I’ll trust you until you give me reason not to.

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