What does the word "Trust" really mean...???

A relative once pointed out to me how misused the word "trust" is.

I was just starting college when we had a discussion about the word trust. I never forget the jist of the discussion, because it made a lot of sense.

Most people who invoke the word trust really mean...."I trust you NOT to do something". such as cheat, lie, "make me unhappy"...etc....

But isn't that a misuse of the word trust?

Isn't trust really about what you believe, feel, hope, or aspire
a relationship to be based on the actions of the other person? The qualities and characteristics you believe to be true about the other person, isn't that what trust really is?

"I trust you to be what you have led me to believe you are".

That is all that trust can ever be. A child exerts a deeper form of "trust". They "trust" that their father will always be their father, and that their mother will always be their mother. A child also trusts that their parents will "NOT" get a divorce, or act in someway that breaks the child's faith in them as their role model in life.

As we mature, we may realize that trust is merely a gossamer illusion of what we need to feel safe. Trust can still be a bond of friendship, respect, and stability between those who have interacted and appreciated the interaction.

What is trust? Trust for many is simply feeling safe while in the company of others. But is that trust?

Rather than "trust" that we will get a certain behavior from another, Perhaps trust is simply a belief that we correctly know a person.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 16, 2002 02:39 PM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>