Monday, April 23, 2012

Here’s an interesting idea.  Is believing in someone the same as trusting them?  Webster’s dictionary defines believing (the verb tense) as: to have trust or confidence (in) as being true, real, good, etc.  While it defines the verb tense of trust as: to believe in the honesty, integrity, justice, etc. of; have confidence in.  Is it possible to believe a person without absolutely trusting them? 

I feel it is.  For example, when a person says they’re going to pick up the mail from the post office or bring in the trash bins, as long as they’ve done so in the past, there’s no reason to distrust that they’ll follow through this time.  But trusting, I believe, carries much greater weight and pertains to heavier subjects.  For example, if a significant other tells you they’re running late due to a business meeting, yet there’s some history of them having been dishonest about other subjects, it’s less likely that trust will be freely given.   

That right there is a key ingredient–having a history of believability and a reputation for being trustworthy.  There are those who subscribe to the philosophy that it’s no big deal if trust is lost, for they think it can be easily regained.  I’m not amongst those.  For me, trust is the ultimate.  It is not freely given, must, must, must be earned and once a crack forms in its foundation, the entire integrity of that relationship falls under question, me wondering what other things I may have been misled to believe.  

As far as I’m concerned, having a reputation for trustworthiness should be a priority, not something that’s taken for granted or allowed to become lax.  Like any other muscle, it needs to be exercised on a regular basis if its strength is to be maintained. 

Webster’s dictionary defines trustworthy as: worthy of trust; dependable; reliable.  From my life’s experiences, these traits can only be achieved by a person maintaining a consistent solid base of behavior, one that doesn’t give others cause to questions their actions, for it’s been proven time and time again that this person is worthy of trust.

So, according to my overview, believing in a person comes easier than trusting them.  I’m curious about the views of others….