Trust is fragile. Handle it with care

A maternal relative had her massive trust reposed in a medical professional for many years. Even when her medical specialist moved to a plush multi-specialty hospital, my relative still managed to meet her for all medical advice, even if it meant commuting extra miles.

Sometime ago, when my relative had a small health-related issue, no sooner had she gone seeking her doctor’s opinions, her doctor suggested an elaborate surgical process where a small medical procedure had sufficed.

Later, to my relative’s utter horror, she discovered that her highly trusted doctor was hand-in-glove with the hospital management. And the surgical procedures suggested were to make some mega bucks. Quite discernibly, the trust in her doctor, developed over the decades, had dented and come dashing down.

Here, I am reminded of an old classmate who once confided in me of her close bonds with a colleague. It seems they gelled extremely well, to the extent that they would often enjoy hurling some excoriating remarks against the eccentric traits of the company head. Once, on some insignificant matter, they started squabbling, which suddenly snowballed into severe spats. 

Now, being in that crabbed mood, her colleague went and spilled off before the company head all the things that my classmate had said against him, in strict confidence! Perceptibly, for a long period, my poor friend had to pay the penalty of missing out on pay hikes, promotions, plum projects, et al. Of course, her colleague later regretted her reckless action and tried hard to make amends and rebuild the relationship, but by then the rift had formed beyond repair. 

Anger, avarice, awful envy, and vengeance can be the abominable culprits in making us indulge in acts of ‘breach of trust.’ Little do we realise that this trust factor could be as fragile as glass. Once it falls, it shatters into such fine fragments that it would be an impossible task to fix them.

And, even if people try patching up ruined relations, the unsightly ‘patch’ does remain perpetually—a ‘painful reminder’ of broken trust. Moreover, once there is mistrust in someone, there is a propensity to misinterpret everything he/she does. Indeed, the lack of trust impedes all our free interactions, which are immensely crucial to the growth of any close relationship.