The situation today in our society is that trust is missing. There is a breakdown of trust in our society. Everywhere you look, and in almost all relationships you will find a lack of trust. I know that we have been disappointed in the past when our trust was betrayed by someone doing business with us or in any other way. We have learned not to trust. It is sad.
On the other hand we know that without trust there is no way we can have a healthy relationship. Without trust there is no flourishing of our society and there is no base for growth. Without trust there is no way to find solutions to the problems that humanity is facing now.
So we need to develop trust in our lives. But how?
It is not easy, but we have to start. First we need to talk about it, and to find what are the elements of a trusting relationship. First we have to say that when dealing with facts, they need to be truthful and not opinions. Truthful facts that need to be exposed in a transparent fashion. So transparency becomes an indispensable, irreplaceable element. This transparency about the facts, including what is the real situation, needs to be shared with all individuals involved. (Thinking about the wars happening now in Ukraine and Gaza.) Big and small conflicts can be solved if those involved can see that the solution will require a new way of thinking. The highest priority in all relationship is to see that the solution will be good for the whole world, not benefiting a sole individual group. We need to see that selfish solutions will be fine in the short term but will not work in the long term, so being visionaries is necessary for all of us. Just like the prophets of the Old Testament!
The same can be said for smaller conflicts in our society. In industry, commerce, or family. The greater good must override the individual egocentric desire. Having transparency, truthfulness and trust will be the incubator of a wonderful relationship that will flourish and perdure for many-many years!
David J Terrell 
David,
Thank you for writing this wonderfully thoughtful blog post.
It reminds me of the comments I always shared to my faculty, who wanted more “transparency” when I served as director or head of school in independent schools. I would reply that I felt words like “transparency” were synonyms in the workplace or schools for “trust”. When someone wanted more “transparency,” they were seeking to have more trust in the leadership or the organization in which they worked.
You note that “Without trust there is no flourishing of our society and there is no base for growth. Without trust there is no way to find solutions to the problems that humanity is facing now.”
The elements of trust are (as noted by many scholars) integrity,
consistency, accountability, competence, credibility, empathy, transparency, and compassion. To me, each of these elements does not stand alone. Without each and every one of them, trust will always erode.
Brene Brown the well-known psychologist and writer, shared the BRAVING acronym: Boundaries, reliability, accountability, the vault (trusted confidentiality), integrity, non-judgment, generosity. Brown notes that trust isn’t built in grand gestures but instead the small moments that people treat what is important to you with care.
Thank you, Andrew, for your insightful comments. I love how Brenè Brown clearly articulates it in your example. Brown’s “Dear to Lead” is one of my favorite books. Next time I will write more about integrity as it is related to the current situation in our world. Best regards.
Dead on right. Perhaps this is also why kindness and empathy are missing. Can lack of trust be why the world seems so much colder?