There's trust, and there's Trust

I've been struck lately by not only the importance of trust. More importantly, the nature of that trust. Obama is executing American citizens in foreign countries with no trial, via drone strike (BOOM, you see what I did there? I just turned this into a polemical political blog). I have no problem with Obama's choices. If Obama's predecessor, he-who-must-not-be-named, had done the same, I would have flipped out, as would most left-leaning Americans (double BOOM!, with a harry potter reference for good measure). The difference? The nature of trust. While I trust the intentions of our previous president, but I don't/didn't trust his judgement. Moreover, I believe the reason for the right-wing paranoia surrounding Obama runs deeper, to a lack of any type of trust*.

I recently had to choose a new rowing partner and a new coach. A lot of my choice came down to Trust, with a capital T. There are plenty of rowers and coaches who I trust to have my best interest, and who I trust as friends.  However, there are few coaches who's judgement I trust as much I trust my own.  Trust seems a clumsy word for such an important influence on our decision-making.



*To prevent any unfortunate inference, I clarify that I don't believe conservative pundits to be irrational, paranoid or racist. Actually, I regard any person who has ever voted for a republican as utterly insane (along with irrational, paranoid, and racist). Probably demonic too (BOOM^3)**.

**I voted for famed democrat and capitalist Meg Whitman in 2010