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I would have to say that trust is something that should be earned in the majority of our dealings with people. While there may be times when we decide to give somebody the benefit of the doubt, it would be foolish and naive to put our trust in anybody and everybody.

It's all too easy for people to fall victim to the worst side of human nature even when they are reasonably sensible and cautious. Few people would go through life without being betrayed at least once by one or more individuals they believed they had good reason to trust implicitly.

Sadly, that's life! This in itself gives us all the more reason to guard ourselves as much as possible against such let-downs, which have the potential to do us great harm in countless practical and personal ways. Having one's faith in other human beings decimated is soul-destroying and corrodes the very foundation and structure of our humanity.

Of course there have to be people and situations where we allow some flexibility in this principle of only putting our trust in those who have earned it. We can't possibly go through life on a daily basis without having to entrust ourselves, our loved ones and things that are important to us to people who haven't necessarily proven themselves worthy of that trust. At least in many situations they will not have earned it from us personally. Sometimes we have to trust that they have proven themselves in some way to somebody else - or even to a number of people in authoritative positions.

For example, when we send our children to school, we have to trust that their teachers have given authorities good reason to believe they will take good care of the children in their care. We have to trust that they are decent people and that they are well-qualified to teach our kids.

When we travel on public transport we have to trust that the person driving the bus, train or tram is fitly qualified for their task, that they are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and that they are of sound mind that day.

When we go into hospital for any reason we have to trust that whatever medical authorities we deal with are highly-skilled, that they take their responsibilities very seriously and that they are dependable in every way. We also have to trust the whole health system that they represent.

Tragically, such trust proves unfounded at times. But what choice do we have? We can keep our wits about us, be observant, ask pertinent questions, voice our concerns and even demand attention from higher

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