Thoughts on Trust

All relationships depend on unspoken trust to succeed. That may seem obvious, but it's actually a subtle matter. The key here is unspoken. Trust has to be the core condition of the relationship; rather like oxygen it has to just be there. It can't be conjured or forced or demanded. The result is that when trust is present life proceeds in what might be called a normal or undramatic fashion, with days passing in harmony and, ideally, spontaneous joy. This condition of trust is only recognized in its absence, when trust has been betrayed. But this is the risk one must take, because the naturalness of life in a good relationship can only be realized when trust is freely given, without any conditions. To try to prevent a breach of trust dooms a relationship to failure.