Trust As A Currency

Over the past few months I have been on the road. I went back to my hometown to realise how much things have changed and how fast things are moving.

There’s something romantic about leaving a place and returning to it years later I must say - the unfamiliar, yet, recognisable surroundings; the familiar faces that seem distant enough for friendships to be rekindled; the joy of seeing how everyone has grown and changed over time; and the realisation that something is of the most valuable - trust. 

No matter what culture, what context, or what kind of relationship it is, trust is the most valuable currency that never fluctuates in value. Trust is something that money can’t buy. Trust is more valuable than time, than emotions, than feelings - because everything is based on trust.

Trust can be built between individuals over time with years of friendship or long-term proof of credibility and reliability, or, it can instantly happen due to instincts. With a good gut feeling, trust is given away just like that. 

When you trust someone, you risk more than just your financials with the person - it’s the emotions that you risk here. Once trust is broken, it is hard to be regained. 

With the growth of sharing economy, more and more things revolve around trust. We trust a website that its system is secure. We trust strangers that they have good hearts and that they won’t do harm to us or our belongings. We trust someone that they have the capabilities to provide what they say they can provide. We trust a restaurant for its cleanliness and cooking skills. We trust a pilot (in this case, an airline) and a driver for that our lives are safe in their hands.We trust a brand or a company for its services and products.

We trust ourselves for our judgement for what we can and cannot trust. 

As you get older, you realise that it’s harder and harder to find someone you can trust - in most cases, it’s not trust with your information, but trust with your emotions. 

True friends become harder to find. Loyal employees whom we can trust and rely on become rare. We trust that people will do the right thing by us. We trust that our true friends will always be there for us and won’t betray us even with the smallest things. 

Seeing trust as a currency - one that is most valuable - makes me think twice about the trust people have given me and the trust I have given others. Think twice before you do something, because trivial things can break trust which is more valuable than money can buy.