faith in people
Another trip to another city to visit an old friend whom I haven't seen for a long time. Getting into the warm bus cabin, I make myself comfortable and take out my book. While my Kindle is waking up, I look out the window and think: "I'm completely trusting my life to the driver right now..."
Have you ever thought about how often we trust other people? The bus driver who controls the situation on the road. The chefs in restaurants who prepare food from quality ingredients. The doctors in hospitals who fix issues in our bodies.
I value this feeling – when you can rely on someone and mentally say: "Now you're in control of the situation, I trust you and won't interfere. Do the best you can." You can feel this in many areas – games, music, cinema, literature, art, even in programming. This happens when someone pays attention to the tiniest details of their work.
Long ago, I developed a principle – when meeting someone new, I give them 100% trust initially (except for obviously suspicious cases). From that moment, trust can only decrease. Reputation is one of the most valuable resources that many underestimate. It's the hardest to earn and the easiest to lose. It troubles me that most people follow the opposite principle – initial distrust of new acquaintances.
As a society, we're stuck in development. When people don't trust each other, there's a need for artificial substitutes of trust – certificates, diplomas, credentials. The problem is that all of these can be bought – it's just a matter of price. What's the value of such "trust" then? We created this distrust ourselves, and then invented a "solution" that fails at its very core. Look at a beehive – complete self-organization, absolute trust in every system participant. Why can't humans achieve the same?
We're intimidated by laws and punishments, living under constant camera surveillance. We traded trust in each other for an illusion of "security". In the end, we deserve neither. Imagine a society where people are honest with each other and, most importantly, with themselves... where everyone understands their responsibility. People, not trusting others, can't even be alone with their thoughts because "anyone can betray, even myself".
The brightest moments in my life are connected with trust - when I risked trusting others or when others trusted me. And even if sometimes it leads to disappointment - I haven't changed my principle of trusting people by default.
The flow of thoughts was interrupted when the bus started moving. "Time to get back to the book," I thought, shifting my gaze back to the screen.