Windows Series 2: When trust is eroded.

Door and window in the Dominican Republic.  Where there is trust, there is no need for locks.

When it comes to having things, one of the best things to have is the trust of others.  And the thing about trust is that it is hard to earn and easy to lose.  

Think about the people in your life that you trust, not lightly, but with deep conviction.  What is it about them that has led you to this place of confidence in their character?  It has nothing to do with how they look, their bank account, or their popularity.  It is something that has developed over time.  It is based on common experiences and witnessed behaviours that stand out.  

There are several qualities that stand out about why you can trust this individual.  They care about you and what happens to you and your loved ones.  They are there when you need them, in whatever capacity.  It is also likely that they are well thought of by others.  If you lend them something, they return it.  They have high moral values and are not easily led astray.  And their behaviour is consistent.

However, like the door in the photo above, when trust is broken, it is not easily given.  In fact, the likelihood of trust developing again may be remote.  It's like the door above.  At first, the door may have had a simple lock on it.  That got broken.  Then a stronger lock appeared, but it too was torn asunder.  Then bars were installed.  Any hope for trust vanished.  And not just for those locally; it is likely that it became harder to trust anyone at all.

And that represents one of the greatest losses, not just the loss of trust in an individual, but the loss of trust in humanity.  We not only prevent others from entering, but we are also imprisoned by the very defences we enable.  Trust, it turns out, means we can be unguarded towards those who earn it.

Never betray trust.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com