Trust on Trial

I’ve thought about surveying people to see if they’re as afraid of trusting others as I am.  I think I’ll do it informally today as a status update on Facebook. The question should be simple and singular and simply goes, “Do you trust anyone?” I’m sure I’ll get questions as answers from people who want clarification but the question is just as it sounds.

I’ve learned and am learning that we, at least I, fear trusting and it affects nearly everything I do. It affects how I work, where I work and with whom I work. Doesn’t it also impact what we believe? We trust as children because what else is a kid to do? He/she is helpless and can be slowly weaned of trust as a personal attribute. It’s easy. All you have to do is grow up and absorb the cynicism of a world that deems faith and trust the hallmark of buffoonery. Trust is truly one of life’s most endangered character traits. Everyone demands it of others but few offer it. It is the opposite of shrewd to inhabitants of all worlds from sports to entertainment. And consequently, where trust wanes faith is sure to follow. Movies depict horrific anecdotes of people being taken advantage of as a cost of doing business.

As someone trying to follow Christ I’d admit that trust is a perpetual test as I reluctantly and inconsistently respond to the needs of humanity and the charge of scripture. But there are so many case-in-points outside of religion that remind me I’m not alone. Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets doesn’t trust that his professional basketball team will consider the interests of the team and himself. McGrady thinks he’s ready to be reinserted into a focal role on his team despite playing in only six games thus far this season due to a knee injury. Students I used to teach at Christian School have walked away from Faith practices and whether the reasons are valid or not, I’m sure departure has plenty to do with trust. Yesterday’s blog post brought attention to the world of preparatory travel basketball which caters to the notion that basketball saturation (a.k.a. obsession) is how real ball players are made.

Trust is missing, generally speaking and yet it is the currency of our age. We spend time in places we shouldn’t be with people we don’t even trust. There’s some kind of allure to being “means-to-an-end” type folks who care only for blood relatives and believe only in things we can see. But something seems wrong with that and the world seems worse for it. On the bright side, 2010 is nearly upon us; it’s a great time to start a grassroots movement. I can see it now, “Become Trustworthy and more trusting in 2010.”