the Panama Papers and widespread tax avoidance; the exchange - rate manipulation by the world’s largest banks ; Brazil’s Petrobras oil scandal ; the lack of an effective response to the refugee crises; and , last but not least , shocking revelations of widespread abuse by Catholic priests , other clergy and other ‘ care ’ institutions . No wonder a thousand headlines lament that nobody trusts authority any more. Corruption, elitism, economic disparity-and the feeble responses to all of the above-have pummeled traditional trust in the old institutions as fiercely as a brutal wind lashing ancient oaks.” 4 We’re seemingly surrounded by overwhelming evidence that the world and those in it cannot be trusted. A “trust crisis”? Quite possibly. Are trust behaviors and historic trust centers fluctuating? No question. And in the midst of all this uncertainty and contradiction, trust remains an essential building block for every relationship. Defining trust and distrust, then, becomes not only the goal of this book, but the goal for anyone pursuing healthy and productive relationships. A Relationship with the Unknown Until now, the tools available to us have made defining trust as challenging as walking through a minefield. Each “exploding” definition exposes only the part of the field it’s “protecting.” The good news: it’s all within a tiny field. Whether in sociology, economics, education, relationships, or any other field of study, more research has been conducted on the subject of trust than the examination of any other relational component. Confidence, reliability, contract of hoped guarantees, a conduit, a lubricant, and yearned expectations all are words (or concepts) that have made their way into definitions of trust. Rachel Botsman’s simple definition is helpful and precise. “Trust is a confident relationship with the unknown.” 5
Trust Me
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