Trust

By Apolinario Villalobos

Trust is faith. I wholeheartedly let go of this word from my mind when a viewer of my blogs expressed that he is always looking forward to them. I believed his appreciation for the blogs without doubting his sincerity. In return, I told him that I trust him….because somehow he understood my sentiments and even make connection through his comments to enhance my views.  Another viewer added his inspiring comment that further enhanced my view. My trust in them is such, that it is not tainted with even a speck of doubt to their sincerity.

We cannot live in this world if we cannot trust our fellowman even a bit. For instance, we entrust our teeth to our dentist whose expertise has been patiently tested, our general health to our family doctor whose prescription for just the best medicine has been proven, the security of our home to our house help every time we leave for work, the manufacturers as we buy their products in securely sealed packaging, and many more. Practically, even the air that we breathe is trusted to be still tolerably clean despite what we already knew how polluted it is. In other words, we have no choice. Risk is also involved at all times, of being exploited by the shrewd, for which all we can do is just be doubly cautious.

If we cannot trust others, it means that we better lead a lonely life. But this is impossible, even those with vows such as the monks. In the eyes of those outside the monastic walls, they live a solitary life, but they talk to each other. Their life together under the cloak of silence is still permeated with trust due to their need for each other, although as a group, they have somehow detached themselves from the material world.

Dangerous shows such as trapeze and acrobatics for instance, are not possible without the performers trusting each other. Even members of the orchestra and dance groups will not be able to perform their best if they will not trust each other for their complementary support. Stage performers also trust their directors and stage hands to do their best, so that their acts will come out right and appropriately supported with the best props.

Trust, on the other hand, should not be abused to the point, that the trusting party is exploited. Once trust in a person has been eroded due to his exploitive overtures, his crumbled image will be very difficult to reconstruct as the fissures or the flaws will always show. A “paint-over” which means pretensions, perhaps, may help to cover the fine lines, but for how long?

An instance of trust abuse is the case of Mary Jane Veloso. She trusted her recruiter so much that she had no inkling, the small suitcase given to her by the former, contained illegal drug. Now she is languishing in jail after having been spared from execution, although, temporarily. Another case is that of the Filipinos who trusted the officials they voted into office, but later on proved to be inept, some yet, are with bottomless dishonest yearning – corrupt to the highest degree!

Trust should be likened to the fragile crystal. A clear and unscratched crystal that gleams and sparkles under the light, in the same way that a person known for his trustworthy image can standout even in a crowd, no matter what.