Reality #1: Trust Should Be a Four-Letter Word

I currently work at a small newspaper in the middle of nowhere. For those of you that don't know, that's half way between somewhere and over there. In other words, I work in a nice town with nice people, but nothing too overly exciting. I spend most days doing composition work...setting up obituaries and also stories that others write.


This past week, I helped type-up "Dear Santa" letters written by local children for our special Christmas section. Most letters were cute and funny, but one caught my attention and brought me back to reality.

In the letter, the kid asked for a lot of things, including an iPod and a Playstation. Before closing, he wrote, "I know you will bring them because I trust you."

Trust.


What does that even mean anymore? Here, you have a child being taught by society to put so much trust in a single person. What happens if the kid doesn't get everything he asked for? What happens when he knows the truth? What will trust mean to him then?


The thing is, though, that people put trust in others on a daily basis. People wouldn't trust a stranger with their bank account, and yet they trust others so easily to handle their hearts, souls, and emotions. Some may say that you have to trust someone until they cause you to lose trust in them. But to me, doing this just says that you are RISKING EVERYTHING.


I think trust should be considered a four-letter word. It causes so much pain when broken.
Maybe we as a society have it backwards. Maybe we should start teaching others - teaching ourselves - to NOT trust until someone proves to us that they can, in fact, be trusted. I think we would be able to save ourselves from a lot of emotional damage, perhaps even help ourselves to become immune to the disease of being let down.


Life isn't easy, especially when it comes to trusting others. I have learned that multiple times in the course of my life. Bosses will let you down. Friends will let you down. The ones you love the most will let you down.

I want to sound optimistic and say that you can overcome the hurt that others cause you by crushing your trust in them, but I won't because that isn't always true. The pain and hurt never truly goes away. The people that betray you seem to think that you only lose trust in them. In reality, they set a standard for everyone else that comes into your life, a standard in which from now on out you will never put trust in a single entity ever again.

It's not like loving someone. People fall in and out of love all the time, and in my opinion that is natural. With trust, however, when you lose it, it's like a part of you dies a little inside. You will worry yourself sick with whether or not someone is being honest with you. It is an emotional drain. It's so unexplainable, and yet for those of you who know what I mean, it's so surreal.

Deep down inside, I hope that little kid gets everything from Santa that he asks for. Then maybe, just maybe, he will at least get to hold on to that trust while he still can.

I just wish I could say the same for the rest of us.

~MJ~