Trustworthy

Friends, 

I am sad that we live in a time of such profound loss of confidence in a trustworthy world besieged by political lies that seem to be so blatant and harmful. I understand that one of the recent political campaign strategies of the Republican Party is their intentional use of lies that, even when corrected, are still repeated over and over without apology or clarification. The classic definition of trust is “reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something where we can place our confidence.” When we loose confidence in the trustworthiness of a person or a system, that is, politicians, we are often left defenseless and anxious and vulnerable which makes it easier for them to control and manipulate our fears, and I think this is the conscious or subconscious intention of all the political lying.

Repeated lies also compromise and confuse voters so they don’t know what to believe in general from anyone, and the expectation is that the public will just give up trying to make make sense of it all and thus be easier to control. 

I find the intentional lying and misdirecting such a cynical disrespect for our societal intelligence and a democratic process where truth and integrity matter deeply, even as I acknowledge that it also seems to be effective and difficult to counter in a relatively indifferent public corrupted now with the unaccountability of social media. And yet, of course, we desperately need to be able to depend on the integrity and accountability of a free and responsible press. One of the most important strengths for a dictator is control over a free press. I especially have cringed when then-President Trump repeatedly disparaged responsible journalism when it was  critical of him. 

In contrast to political trustworthiness, my reason for emphasizing the importance of trustworthiness at this time comes out of my recent dependence and need to be confident of the trustworthiness of the medical establishment for my critical health care. With one’s life on the line it is essential that you can trust the doctors and all who administer medications, physical care, and offer advice. Medical trust is perhaps the gold standard of what it means to be able to trust others and their support systems, and I am pleased that I have been able to trust my medical care these past years. And so dangerous when this trust and confidence are weakened. 

Which brings me back to my deep sadness that anyone would exploit and betray public trust to gain political control. The political world is not as immediate to our personal well being as health care, of course, but it is still true that without confidence in the trustworthiness of political leadership and the systems that support them - and they are pledged to support - our social fabric and safety is at high risk, and I think that is the case today. Our vote for those we can trust is so crucial, and I urge you to consider a candidate’s trustworthiness as a primary criterium and vote appropriately. 

As I contemplated the importance of trust in preparation for recent surgery I asked myself who I needed to trust to help me deal with my uncertainty and anxiety. I began by asserting trust of myself and my body that it would be strong enough to receive the care and heal. And I needed to trust the doctors and all the medical staff that would be attending to me. And I had to trust Cathy and my friends and family would be there to support me personally. And finally I needed to trust in a God of grace and love that would accompany me. My “trust walk” reminded me of the importance of my faith and reliability of my trustworthy environment, including the current political climate, especially during times of stress and crisis. 

We all do have the ability and obligation to seek the best truthful information available to us, to vocally counter lies, and to establish a personal commitment of integrity to uphold the truth in our own daily lives and as a positive influence on those around us.The great adage that the truth will make us free (or the lack thereof will imprison us) continues to be a great truth in of itself. 

Peace,
Tom