The Nature of Trust

Throughout human history, one force has bound civilizations together. One force has raised kings to thrones, sent generals into battle, and decided who has honor and who does not. This force is trust, and it holds more power now than ever before.

There is no one more universally hated than a traitor. To gain the trust of another and then betray them for nothing but the benefit of one's self is a crime not only against the betrayed, but also against civilization itself. The traitor must be isolated, despised, and punished because anything else would lead to a breakdown not only of the law, but also of the principles that the laws are based on. In any human society, the people must rely on each other to each do their part and work for the greater good of the community. For that, there must be trust.

Yet few people can be fully trusted; being completely selfless is as much a part of human nature as jumping onto dry land is part of a fish's nature. So how does society survive with such feeble bonds? The same way that the separate fibers of a rope withstand enormous strain. To reinforce trust, there are the universal concepts of honor and decency. To be a man of honor is to be trustworthy. Honor is like an unbreakable set of rules, burned into the minds of those who most value it. It binds duty and respect and gives them more substance than the heart the beats in one's chest. The heart may give life, but honor provides a reason for life. Decency holds much less power over individuals, but it makes up for this by reaching a far wider crowd. It represents the unwritten laws of a society, deciding what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Being decent does not mean going out of your way to help others, but it does require that you reach some degree of selflessness, especially when it comes to friends and relatives. Ultimately, decency is probably the most important out of these because its wide reach makes violating it unpopular and-in the long run-less to the benefit of people who couldn't care less about right and wrong.

Therefore, it is not necessary for trust to be based on the morality of the trusted. Niccolo Machiavelli once said that it is safer for a ruler to be feared than loved. While that may have been true in Machiavelli's day, individuals have more power now than at any other time in history, making fear perhaps the worst reason to trust someone. Love is not much better either for those in authority; the pages of history are filled with traitors whose love, respect, and loyalty seemed unquestionable. Trust is most powerful when it is based on the absolute knowledge of an individual's values and motives. By basing ones trust on what is in their best interest, that trust is more secure.

This is particularly important because the trust of others and the ability to trust other people is now the greatest power that one can possess. In today's world, modern technology has given individuals so much power that force is practically obsolete. The only people who actually have the kind of force-based power that can be used to rule the world are the ones with intimate access to nuclear weapons-and that only lasts until they realize that they're relying on other people to not poison their food. Ultimately, you can't hold any kind of real power without relying on other people. Likewise, the only way to hold power instead of simply being safe is to be trusted. True power comes from the trust and respect of others because only those invested with the trust of their people and followers have any legitimate authority. Anyone without that legitimate-i.e. a dictator-is in constant danger of a revolt. An illegitimate ruler is also much less likely to be tolerated by foreign powers.

To entrust the representation of a nation to any person is the highest trust there can ever be. Those who receive such trust are soldiers and politicians. I say politicians because, like many nations, America does not put this ultimate trust in any one individual. While the President is the most powerful individual in America, he still represents only one of the three branches of government. For this reason, I must include the members of Congress in this discussion of the highest trust. To entrust any person with the leadership of a nation is not to trust that person to do whatever the public wants but rather to trust them to do what they believe is in the best interest of that nation. This person must defend the welfare, the rights, and the moral standing of their people, always choosing what is right over what is easy.

When it comes to the military, a different kind of representation is needed. Those in the military are relied upon to defend their country. They must remain vigilant, loyal to their country and their cause. They must never commit needless atrocities like those witnessed in the My Lai Massacre even if they are ordered to do so. Yet it is the common soldier who is most vulnerable to the psychological pressures that can result in such abominable acts. Therefore, though he still commits a crime, the soldier who is ordered to carry out such acts can still be forgiven. The commanding officers, on the other hand, are not so easily excused. While the lower ranks have more honor, it is those who rank higher up in the military who bear the most responsibility.

Such is the nature of trust that is ingrained into the most fundamental principles of civilization. It binds nations and appoints rulers. It is the eldest brother of honor and decency and the equal of tradition and justice. Most of all, it is the greatest power in the human world.