Trust is a funny thing. Trust should be earned, but it is often granted for the most ridiculous reasons because the person from the right political party gives a good speech or checks the right boxes in some perverse game of diversity bingo. Even worse is when we trust people not because we have a good reason but because someone tells us we must.
Ronald Reagan famously said, “Trust, but verify.”
During COVID, many in the government and the media told us to blindly trust something called “The Science,” as if there was some entity called “The Science.” Others told us to blindly follow the scientists as if they were gods who could not be wrong.
So I ask you, who do you trust and why?
Trust is an interesting thing. We talk about trust being earned, but based on what? You may trust a sports star at a crucial point in the game because of this history. You may trust a mechanic because of a recommendation from a friend. You may even trust someone because they’ve helped you before. Those seem to be pretty good reasons to trust. But is that how we decide who to trust in other important situations?
For example, the United States is a republic of republics. We elect people to represent us and trust them to use the powers we’ve vested in them according to the rules we’ve established in the constitutions of our states and the United States. But then, how do you explain the most common answer to the question, “How can you tell when a politician is lying?”
We all trust others. Sometimes, simply because they are in a political party or they look good in TV ads.
Have you ever really considered who you trust and why?
