The other day as I was reflecting on past difficult relationships, either romantic or failed friendships, I realized there was one aspect that contributed to their collapse. Lack of trust.
We fail to realize how essential trust is to our existence. It is exercised in every decision, from the products we buy to the ways in which we travel from one destination to another.
I have always wondered, with trust so essential to our being, did it develop or are we born with an innate ability to trust? Simple evidence such as a baby crying when a parent leaves the room reveals that perhaps we are not born with such an ability.
There are even psychological theories such as Erikson’s Trust Versus Mistrust which claim that trust is learned. If children’s needs are met when they cry or if they are comforted when frightened, trust is developed. If these needs are not met, the child learns to mistrust and may never be fully secure in the world.
Certain aspects of our lives, such as having our needs met as children or trusting traffic signals, have become so ingrained that we take them for granted, not even realizing that these aspects of our lives indicate a choice of whether or not to trust.