by Zachary Belins

Created on: April 28, 2009

Imagine, if you will, that you are familiar with someone that you know can keep a secret, is dependable, and can assist you with anything if you ask. You also know someone that is a gossiper, unreliable, and is pretty much good for nothing as far as helping you out is concerned.

It's obvious which person you'd prefer to be close friends with.

As in the foundation of a house, trust has to be the solid groundwork of any deep relationship that is cultivated with other people. Any house built on mud will not be stable, and will likely collapse. Likewise, a friendship with no confidence is bound to fail. When it comes down to it, you have to be able to believe in the people that you depend upon.

While other factors contribute to friendship, the importance of trust cannot be understated. One dictionary defines a friend as "somebody who trusts and is fond of another". Would somebody be a close friend if he or she couldn't be trusted to be kept in confidence?

What, exactly, is trust? Trust transcends the dictionary definition of "reliance" or "confidence"; it is a way in which we view others. Trust is not something easily earned, and it is even harder to regain once lost. Money can't buy trust, though it can make people lose trust in others. It is the most important form of social credit, in which people will decide how much they can depend on you. In certain friendships trust can be the key adhesive keeping the relationship together, the only common denominator.

Trust is, in short, extremely valuable to have.

The abuse of trust can be a terrible thing - betrayal, hurt, anguish can all result from it, and it could destroy a relationship from marriage to acquaintance. Not being able to have faith that what someone says is the truth can also be detrimental - a certain anecdote about a boy crying wolf comes to mind. Eventually people lost faith in the young lad and when a wolf really did come, nobody believed him when he declaimed its presence. A lesson is definitely to be learned from this age-old parable: trust can save your life! That may be an extreme axiom to take from that message, and a more moderate and applicable one might be "trust is extremely precious".

When the chips are down, you want to know that a good companion will have your back and that's about all there is to it. Having someone's confidence can be one of the most important factors in a friendship.

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