Trust

The other day I was speaking with my grandchildren. One of them had lied to us, and so we explained how trust is important. I made the statement to them that “The whole world depends on trust.” That kind of raised eyebrows, and then I explained to them what I meant. Below is an expanded version of what I said to them.

Business

Business depends on trust. The vendor sends the customer the good trusting he will be paid. The customer orders the goods trusting they are of good quality and made according to specifications.

Flights

You get on an airplane trusting the pilot to be sober and unimpaired, in addition to being well-trained. You trust the mechanics prepared the plane properly and the air traffic controllers are paying attention.

Marriage

You marry someone trusting they will keep their vows made at the altar before God. You trust that person not to bring home STDs, to be faithful to you, and to do his or her share within the family.

So trust is important. If you have a reputation for being trustworthy and a person of integrity, that will help you in all your dealings. If not, your life will be hindered in various ways.

I believe the main reason why there are so many negative reactions by citizens regarding health care reform is that we don’t trust Congress or the President. Congress has a lower rating than even President Bush at his lowest point. President Obama hasn’t done anything yet to earn our mistrust, so he is right now a victim of the untrustworthiness of his predecessors and mistrust of government in general. You reap what you sow, and Congress is reaping what it has sown for decades.