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Trust always involves a high degree of risk. When we allow ourselves to trust another human being, we immediately make ourselves vulnerable to them. We open ourselves up to the pain, disappointment, and heartache that comes from the realization that a particular person should not have been granted our trust. It can be a devastating blow, and it might even result in our inability to trust in future relationships. It might also cause us to wonder whether or not anyone can be trusted 100% of the time.

When two people enter into a relationship, they must earn each other's trust, for trust, by its very nature, demands that it be earned rather than immediately granted. Over time, both individuals will hopefully reach the point where they can freely offer one another the gift of complete trust. Once trust has been established, both people will naturally hope that they will not come to regret their decision, but unfortunately, this might sometimes be the case. The truth of the matter is that it is virtually impossible to know if we can trust another individual fully and completely. Along the same lines, we never really know whether we ourselves are 100% trustworthy. Of course, we would like to believe that both we and they are, but circumstances constantly arise in life wherein either person's trustworthiness might be called into question.

Therefore, it is not realistic to expect that we will be able to determine in advance whether anyone can be trusted 100%. Trust not only involves risk, but also a large amount of faith. We are required to believe that the other person will not betray our trust, and that we will not have to deal with the pain that will inevitably result from having our hearts torn out in such a way. However, if we resolve to never trust anyone ever again because we have been hurt in the past, then we miss out on all the benefits that come from freely giving our hearts and souls to another human being. In many ways, trust is very similar to love. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, " 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all", and the same can be said for trust. There is much to be gained from both love and trust, and even if both result in heartache, then we are still better people for having taken the risk. When we fail to do so, we prevent ourselves from experiencing all the wonder and joy that life has to offer, and we limit our capacity to live life in the way that it was surely meant to be lived.

Learn more about this author, Mary Ann Rudy.
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