Crazy Little thing Called ....

What is the one thing that is hardest to get, easiest to lose, and is usually never retrieved whole once lost? That which is highly coveted by all but impossible to ask for, buy, steal or obtain by force; which can only be given to you by someone when he or she decides you are deserving enough.

How many times have you had the phrase "trust me" thrown at you, without reason or logic? Trust is a tricky little thing; it takes a while to build and mere moments to destroy. Even so, people are quick to use the word and ask others for it, without realizing what it implies. They ask others to trust them, but when are they going to understand that one cannot simply demand it?
Asking for trust is pointless, you can only get it through consistent behavior in the right direction, over time. It's makes no sense to ask someone to trust you when your actions prove otherwise, because they simply won't be able to. You will have to prove yourself worthy first.

What's more, once you win somebody's trust, you can't take it for granted. You will have to be consistently honest with that person in order to keep it alive. This calls for some effort on your part. It takes only a single instance to destroy trust, one wrong move and it's gone. And after that, even if you try hard to get it back, it is unlikely to ever be the same again. You can liken it to a broken mirror; you may stick the pieces back together, but the cracks will never go.

Of course, this doesn't mean we should start eyeing everyone we come across with suspicion, but it's wise to not get carried away or wear horse-blinders when it comes to judging others. It isn't always possible to immediately classify people into either of the two subsets "innocent until proven guilty" or "guilty until proven innocent", but we can start by giving them the benefit of doubt while keeping our wits about us. Giving people a chance to prove their good intentions is the right thing to do; letting them abuse that chance is not.

Now there are going to be be a fair number of people who will abuse that chance, but still demand that you trust them. So the next time one of them insists that you learn to trust, look them straight in the eye and insist that they first earn it!

Sweet and simple... or is it?