Trust

For me, trust is something that can come with either very good benefits, or very harsh ramifications. Trusting people is a gamble every time but I would say that the times that people pull through for you make up for the times that they let you down. Life is all about ups and downs, that's inevitable. People are going to let you down many times throughout your life but that's not worth being a completely pessimistic cynic. I think that trust is something that needs to be wisely placed. Allowing just anyone the benefit of the doubt will inevitably come back to bite you but at the same time deciding not to believe in anybody will leave you all alone and that's no way to go through life. If you don't give others a chance, how can you expect them to give you one? Trust is currency. It's credibility and the more you have the better, but how you choose to dole it out can have serious consequences. I've put my trust in the wrong people before, I won't get too specific but I can say for certain that I've had experiences that have made me want to close myself off. However, I've gotten past those experiences because I have both seen and experienced instances of people coming through, whether it be for me or for someone else. Ultimately, it's important to be a trusting person but being selective and prudent are traits that need to go hand in hand with that trust. I know I'm rattling off a bunch of vague statements and clichés but that's just about all I have on the subject. I think trust is a very broad term so it just goes to show that I'm talking broadly about it. I think the largest factors in how trusting a person is, are the experiences they've had putting themselves on the line by putting their trust in someone else. People who are less trusting, obviously have been let down before, while people who place their faith easily in others have most likely benefited from doing so in the past. Personally, I would say that I'm a trusting person but I'm selective at the same time. I take the time to get a good idea of a persons character before allowing them into a position that could have a negative outcome on myself. I would like to think that I'm a trustworthy person but will admit that you would get a variety of answers to that question depending on who you'd ask. I've gone out of my way to help many people but there have also been times when I let them down whether it be through direct or indirect fault of my own. Ultimately, trust is the credibility we both give and receive that determines what doors we will see opened for us. Trust is a double edged blade. Give and take, that's what it's all about.