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Trust is the Glue 9/30/2009 7:53:13 AM
Belief is a simple matter of tolerance. Citizens are welcome to their personal beliefs, which may or may not be sanctioned by orthodox religions. Individuals will gravitate toward others who hold similar beliefs. By the same token, folks will shy away from or even distrust folks whose beliefs differ dramatically from their own. Yet, two people who reside in the same town and country, who ascribe to the same religion, may harbor wildly different beliefs. Moreover, a person's beliefs may change over the course of time.
Trust is the glue that binds various belief systems together. Trust is paramount in a world that is growing smaller, more crowded and more connected. Trust is most often achieved by demonstration. A friend who responds in times of need is truly a trustworthy friend. Trust is a necessary ingredient of healthy communities. Folks must trust that food they buy has been checked and approved, that the labels honestly reflect the contents. Folks must trust that clean potable liquid will flow from their water taps. Folks expect light to shine when they flip the switch. Citizens in a democracy must trust those who tabulate their votes.
Nowadays, the common trust has been stretched to the breaking point. A number of elections have been criticized for lack of transparency. In some instances, the wrong candidates have been declared winners. Even in those instances where candidates have been elected fair and square, they have failed to follow thru on many promises, especially those having to do with greater government transparency. Governments around the world hold their cards close to the vest where the general electorate is concerned. Part of reason is that politicians are elected on the strength of their personalities, not necessarily on their qualifications for the job. Indeed, the tasks facing governments nowadays are complex and require a wide range of scientific tools before the problems can be identified and understood. However, popular media thrives on 10-second audiovisual segments which cannot do justice to complex problems. Citizens who crave understanding are too often given slogans instead. It's no wonder the electorate feels short-changed after the candidates take office. In truth, the burden of government is almost totally born by those appointed to do the actual work: the science advisors, the census takers, the service men and women, the report makers, the persons answering phones...
Trust is gained thru demonstration and transparency. The electorate is obligated to make themselves scientifically savvy as much as possible, while politicians should quit talking down to their constituents. Governments are nothing if they are not an open source of information.
