Trust defined

Just recently, I heard an interesting definition on "Trust" from someone. Can't remember the actual words, but it goes something like this:-

"To trust someone is to give him or her the power to totally destroy you, knowing that he or she would never do that...."

Well, historically, trust has not always been something that has been given to the right people. Misplaced trust, in the wrong hands, is a sure recipe for disaster. As some of these poor folks found out the hard way:-

1. Guy Fawkes
The guy (no pun intended) who tried to blow up the Parliament, and inspiration for the movie "V". Actually, he wasn't betrayed - rather he was caught for betraying his country. Given his intentions, I'm unsure why England celebrates "Guy Fawkes" day though....
No trust involved here, but with guys like this around (again, no pun intended), in who would you dare to put your trust in?

2. Julius Caesar
From him we got the familiar "Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered), but also his famous last words "Et tu Brutus?". Sad. Not only were his last words a question, but one of the conspirators who attacked and ultimately ended his life was none other than his own nephew, Brutus. Hmm, family ties must have been rather strained back in those days.

3. Jesus Christ
Betrayed by Judas for a sum of 13 pieces of silver (which I gather must have been worth quite a lot back then, after taking inflation into consideration). As I recall, Judas merely made a positive ID (for some reason his persecutors did not know what the man they were looking for looked like, and chose not to arrest and execute all 13 diners after one fine supper), but that was enough to earn him a place in history.

4. Samson
Why, why, why, Delilah? Taken from a song by Tom Jones, another example of betrayal from the Biblical times. Enticed by the Philistines to find out the source of the mighty Samson's strength (for 1100 pieces of silver, hmm....), which, for those of you who don't know the story, comes from his long hair. After entrusting her with his secret, which ultimately led to his capture and being blinded.

5. Nick Leeson
You may have heard this name, especially, if you've had an account in the Barings Bank. Even London's oldest Merchant Bank can be "bankrupt" in the wrong hands. Betraying the people who put their money where their trust is (was)....

These are just some of the examples that come to mind at the time. Don't get me started on the likes of Anakin Skywalker and Jack Sparrow (sorry, CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow) - I'm leaving movies out from this one....

In an organization and in society, trust and honor should be values that are admired in others, as well as practiced by everyone. I'm sure that everyone would prefer a society where "people who cheat are stupid" rather than "people who don't cheat are stupid"....

A gargantuan task, for an individual, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For starters, we should all strive to always be impeccable with our words (Agreement number one from Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements). For those of you who are privileged and trusted by family, friends, or colleagues, take care that you do not break that trust, as the saying goes "trust is the hardest thing to find, and the easiest to lose".