faith, unconscious.

This post isn't related to anything. It's just a personal, but ever so trivial musing.

I don't trust anyone. I just can't trust.

I've heard that phrase thrown around quite often. Even I've caught myself uttering that.

But...

If one steps back and becomes the spectator rather than a playing piece in this twisted game of life, one would realize that the majority of everything we do is based on trust.

To bring an umbrella or not to? We listen to the weather forecast everyday to have that question answered. We trust that what the meteorologist predicts is correct.

Every time one purchases a meal or perhaps a cup of steaming hot something, he/she trusts that no one has slipped anything in it. One wouldn't stick a silver needle in every food item she/he buys. True, there are food regulations and monthly inspections, but how does one know the regulations are being followed or the inspections honest? Trust.

But, why do we trust them? They're all just strangers. Do we trust them because there will be another echelon to enforce them and so forth? But that begs the question the Roman poet Juvenal asked: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Who will guard to guards?* How are we sure the ones in the uppermost part of the chain of command are doing what they are supposed to do? They don't have anyone breathing down their necks, watching their actions. We are left with faith and trust.

I can only guess that it's part of human nature to trust. One doesn't become paranoid of suspicious of something unless something has happened to him/her or that he/she heard something happened to someone because of such and such event. One would not arm themselves unless they are threatened by an opposing force. There has to be a trigger in order for those negative attributes to appear.

Yet, though one has experienced the latter, he/she still trusts. Unbeknown to her/himself. one still trusts those who serve their everyday needs and such. Otherwise, it would be impossible to survive. Even if one decides to plant their own food or take those aforementioned matters to their own hands, they would still have to trust that it would work out.

Perhaps, instead of one not being able to trust completely, one is capable of trusting the process and not the persons working it, vice versa.

*Just a bit of randomness: Plato addresses and gives an answer that question in The Republic. He says that they, the guardians, will guard themselves against themselves. "We must tell the guardians a noble lie." That lie will instill the belief that they are better than the rest and therefore hold the responsibility to watch over and protect those who are not.