Response to: Americans far less trusting than per capita wealth would predict

Having trust is a foundational or fundamental quality that we should analyze at an individual level and more closely.  Why is it that we trust?  One can come up with several reasons and perspectives (with statistics, science, epistemology, etc).  Often though, we seem to forget that trust is deeply and seriously codependent with our worldview or view of reality. 

If I believe that my reality is part of a selfish society, where everyone has to look out for oneself (equally or not), then I cannot trust anything outside of what I can control.  I will keep others at a distance.  I would be apprehensive of any group, organization, or establishment because I would feel threatened.  Furthermore, those groups, organizations, establishments, etc. would also be less effective because the individuals in the group would feel anxious that another, just like himself, is looking for his/her best interest. 

If my perspective of the world constantly separates, differentiates, distinguishes, and encourages such distances and prejudices, I am placed in a position of having to choose a side of the divide: “Because there is a Westside and Eastside, I must belong, support, and take pride in anything that represents the Westside;” “Because there are ethnic differences, I must belong to one and I must support and protect the parameters of such a distinction;”  “Because I belong to certain religious sect, I cannot trust the other side.”  All the forms of differentiation and distinction causes conflict and distrust. 

On the other hand, if I believe that society is interdependent and I am an important factor in the workings of society, I have no choice but to trust another—I have a societal responsibility to trust another.  I trust that the judicial system is working without corruption because I am part of it.  I trust on our civic leaders because citizens feel deeply connected and concerned about civic matters.  I trust my atmosphere and environment because I play an integral part in it.  If I believe that the world is codependent, then the trust I have in myself, is the same trust of others.  If my worldview is that of in interdependent world, then I trust that my actions are influential and I trust that others act in a responsible way because they understand that their actions are influential.

As an aside, most scientific findings (and perhaps this posts’ statistics) also have this interdependence.  The majority of scientific projects involve a group of specialists that deal with particular aspects of the projects.  Ultimately, each individual in a group depends and trusts that the work being done--that the observations are accurate, that the controls are prepared adequately, that the data is interpreted and recorded specifically, that all others in the project have the capacity to interpret and understand the same data the same way, etc--are accomplished adequately.  If such collective trust was nonexistent, then science as we know it would dissipate.

Trust is codependent with our view of world.  What is our worldview?  How do we see the other?  How do we see our neighbors?  What role do we play in society?  How much influence does one believe one has in the world?

There are many cases in our society where our worldview is presented as deeply individualistic, independent, and self-controlling.  The media, national policy, and idealisms promote a self driven worldview.  Our sense of a collective mind (see my post: E Pluribus Unum) has been altered to a sense of an independent mind.

In such a worldview where one cares more about the welfare of oneself than the welfare of the collective world, it is understandable why one would not trust in anything outside of one’s control.  Furthermore, if our society, culture, and idealism necessitate the incessant act to differentiate and distinguish, one can envision why it is that there is such distrust in other factions.  Although wealth may play a role in trust, I encourage those with more facilities than myself to explore deeper causes for our lack of trust.  Perhaps those countries that show more trust than the US practice more collective thinking—they perceive their world as codependent or interconnected?  What is their perceived worldview?  What do they trust—trust in what?  These and many more questions should be raised.