Trust

Our world is built on trust. Blunt statement. Truth, too.

The dollar bill is worth $1 because we expect it to be so; and we prove that every time we buy something that seems worth $1. If you read the text printed on the dollar bill, you will see the “In God We Trust” phrase. That is an assertion adopted by Congress in the 1950’s after the USA helped the world prevail against sinister enemies. That phrase, however, has nothing to do with the value of the dollar.

The ‘full faith and credit’ of the US Treasury is what makes the dollar’s value worth 100 cents.

The American government has functioned steadily and reliably for 250 years plus. Our nation’s word is its bond. The government says it will do something and we can believe that will happen. Our friends around the globe rely on us as well; that is why they sign treaties, compacts and agreements with us. They know we will live up to our word. If we say we will protect you and defend you against foreign powers, we will; we have. Our history supports the claim.

If we say we will be a trading partner with you on agreeable terms and quick currency settlement, we follow through on such agreements. If we say we will partner with you and your science community in space, we will do so, even though our relationship is very rocky much of the time. The International Space Station is a proof of point. Russian and American astronauts have been working together for many years keeping global science experiences operating at the station. We support shipments of materials and supplies to the astronaut crew regularly. We fund the operations, too.

When we visit the doctor, she tells us a diagnosis we can understand and the treatment plan suggested. We believe the medicines prescribed and the testing, hospital care and surgical procedures will be done expertly and safely. When they tell us results are 85% certain, we can trust the claim. Nearly 100% of the time the results are as expected or better.

When we get the bill for the medical treatments we know the insurance company will pay the bill, Medicare will pay its share, the medical provider will discount the costs accordingly to the government’s agreement, and we pay our co-payment as prescribed. The bills are paid and everyone is happy.

We send our kids to school and they come back mostly happy at the end of the day. In time they pass tests, participate in many life altering experiences and mature into fine adults and citizens. They have become educated and able to learn on their own throughout the rest of their lives. The school system is doing and has done its job. We all have benefited from these outcomes.

Our national boundaries and shores are defended well by our Navy, Coast Guard, Army and Air Force. Our intelligence agencies analyze events and covert activities 24/7/365 to protect our national security. It always has. It continues to do this complicated job. And we come to rely on it.

We trust our families to do the right thing and most of the time they do! Same with our places of employment. Not all works out fine, but then the world is constantly changing so we have to expect some agreements won’t be honored without some change.

For the most part, though, things are as they should be and we function daily in a world of stability and reliability.

Trust. It is everywhere. It is basic. And it is often invisible. How much do we assume will be OK when we really don’t have any way to know such is the case?  Most of the time, right?

I think we forget that we have much to be grateful for in spite of temporary difficulties from time to time. And yes, some people are not trustworthy. We learn to live with those disappointments and move on. Why? Because most of our fellow citizens are trustworthy.

Same with the aspirations and expectations of our foreign friends around the globe. Keep those relations healthy and we do rely on each other. That’s a good thing. May it ever be so.

April 28, 2017