The not-so-hidden cost of mistrust
Monday, January 10th, 2011I grew up learning a lot about the potholes in the road of life. I learned from family, friends, teachers and tv how bad the world can be, how to be careful of strangers and how to be careful of who I trust. I then lived a little and learned the sting of betrayal…when you trust someone, know that they know you, have the highest expectations and then are miserably let down and disappointed by them and their actions. And this confirmed it, closed the loop in a sense…they were all right. Don’t be naive. Be careful of who you trust, because it’ll come back to haunt you. People should earn your trust…
But there’s one big lesson in life that I didn’t really get growing up. Its the price we pay when we don’t trust…the things we lose when our guard is up. When I trust deeply, there will always be that person that might take advantage of it, and when that happens I’ll pay a price…no doubt. But when I mistrust, I pay a price on every social transaction, and its a tremendous opportunity cost. I miss out on the profound and life altering interactions that would make a hundred betrayals well worth the sting. Plus…I don’t believe that “he who dies with the fewest scars wins.” I’d like to accomplish more than that in my life.