Trust

1. Trust. Trust is believing in someone or something. Trust is having faith that things will get better. Trust is knowing that someone will be there to catch you when you fall. This feeling or state of being is hard to put into words, yet this is the way that I most commonly think of trust. It is crucial to have trust because if you don't trust others, then how can you even trust yourself? What if you don't have anyone there to support you that you trust? It is important to trust others because you never know when you might need someone's support to get you through. It is better to believe better of people and then have them prove you wrong as opposed to the other way around. What I mean by this statement is that it is better to think all people are good and then have a few exceptions that proves your theory wrong rather that to trust no one and then have someone who helps you despite your distrust of them. Trust can be a difficult thing to muster, yet I believe that you know by your instincts who can be trusted and who can't. Someone once told me that if a person ever has to implore you to "trust me", then they are not to be trusted. If one has to ask for trust, then it is obvious that they have done nothing to earn it. Trust is a thing that comes from experience and it cannot be made in an instant. It takes a lifetime to earn it, and a moment to shatter it.

2. In Tuesday's With Morrie, there are many examples of trust. Morrie has to trust others to take care of him because as his body condition deteriorates, he is unable to take care of himself. He need assistance doing the simplest of tasks and he is very fortunate to have his "small army of home care workers" who aid him. If Morrie did not trust in the people he has around him to help him survive, then he would not last long. Without these people that are willing to be there for him, he would wither away to nothing in a shorter amount of time. Morrie understand the virtue of trust, because of all the people he trusts, yet when he tried to educate a younger generation on its importance, he was met with varied opinions. In his unusual course entitled "Group Process", Morrie uses his students as "human lab rats". He has his students do a trust fall, where they rely on the person behind them to catch them. Most of the students are uncomfortable with this, yet one girl simply closes her eyes and lets herself fall into the arms of another student. Morrie comments on this saying, "You see, you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them to--even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling." This quote is so important because Morrie gives his students the influential lesson that trust must be given to be received.

3. These examples changed my views on trust for the better. Morrie's advice really meant a lot to me and I feel as if I can implement it in my own life. I feel that sometimes I am not willing to give trust out, yet I ask for it readily. It is important to trust others with the same amount of trust that you require them to give you.

4. Finally, my questions for you, the reader, are as follows: What is your definition of trust? Who do you feel that you completely trust in your life?