Trust: A Necessary Compromise Between Vulnerability and Security - Essay Example

Thesis ment Trust is a necessary exercise in learning to balance personal vulnerability with personal security. Outline I. Operational definitiona. trust is the acceptance of one's vulnerabilityb. trust is the acceptance of another's powerII. What is trust likea. trust is like an open doorb. trust is like money III. What is not trusta. trust is the absence of worryb. trust is not ignorant blissc. to trust is to fear notd. trust involves self-relianceTrust: A Necessary Compromise BetweenVulnerability and SecurityTrust is the state of mind wherein one accepts one's own vulnerability with the hope of positive intentions and behavior from others.

One trusts when one believes in, and acts according to, the words and actions of others. When a person tells a friend about how he feels incompetent with his job, for example, he effectively put himself at the mercy of this friend, who may be able to tell his superior about his feelings. Trusting is the willing acceptance of one's power to affect another. When we trust others, we put our vulnerability in their safekeeping, with the hope and belief that our vulnerability will not be taken advantage of.

When we put our trust in others, we are in effect telling them to take care of something that we want to preserve, and something that they may have the ability to damage or even steal. What is trust likeTrust is like an open door-it is inviting and welcoming. However, depending on whom one opens his door to, trust can result in deeper and more fulfilling relationships, or in pain. However, as Frank Crane says, "You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough.

"Trust is like money: it is saved, given, sometimes stolen. Trustingly lending an item to a friend who never returns it, for instance, means that the friend has betrayed-"stolen"-your trust, and it will be unlikely to return. This can result in future unwillingness to trust others when similar situations arise. Thus trust is also a form of "payment" for the perceived credibility of others. What is not trustTo trust is to accept, and not to worry. Especially in the context of a religious person putting his trust in God.

In considering the Biblical passage "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." (Psalms 16:1), trust does not mean that one is careless, indifferent, and neglectful, or that one just "goes with the flow"-with regards to one's relationship with God, it is something positive, a definite act of reaching out and acknowledging one's need for support. An analogy if this could be seen in an anchored ship: an anchored ship cannot be swept by waves or driven about by the winds. The same could be said for a person who is "anchored" to God.

Trust is not about blissful ignorance, and it's not about turning a blind eye to the realities on one's situation. It is about seeing things for what they are, about looking beyond the dangers and difficulties and assessing how others (or, from a Christian perspective, God) can help in one's predicament. The element of fear should not be present when one really trusts. Trust is about assurance; it implies an unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something. Fear torments and troubles the mind; thus it does not have a place in the concept of trust.

But this does not necessarily mean that nothing could ever frighten a person when he or she trusts; but a person who trusts will have the awareness that (again, from the Christian perspective) that God is with him or her always, and that he or she can rely on God's presence.Above all, trusting is not about total reliance on others. Trust is primarily an agreement with the self to the effect that one will have confidence in one's own abilities. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) said, "As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.

"BibliographyBailey, Tom, "On Trust and Philosophy", University of Warwick, .McLeod, Carolyn, "Trust", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2006 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). < http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2006/entries/trust/>.Roy J. Lewicki, Roy J., & Tomlinson, Edward C, "Trust and Trust Building", December 2003. The Beyond Intractability Project, .