Trust and Covid-19

When my best friend had twin toddlers, she decided that there was no way she and her partner could do this alone, they were going to need to have a baseline trust, rather than suspicion, of the people they would encounter each day.

We have to trust others. The question is, who are you going to trust? This may be the bottom line of the division that is between Americans today. Who do we decide to trust? Who do we not trust?

I trust scientists who show that they are following the appropriate research guidelines of today, e.g. peer-reviewed studies, double-blind tests, etc. I don't trust the currently government administration, but if I'm being truthful, I don't fully trust any administration on certain things. In times of crisis, part of their job is to not induce panic. So I don't always trust that I'm hearing the full story. But when verifiable facts, studies, witnesses are provided, I pay attention.

We are so terribly divided on this, aren't we? I will say, I also give credence to the idea that the best predictor of future performance is past performance. If someone has repeatedly been proven to lie, I do not trust them. Which may mean I miss out on a truth sometimes -- the wolf really did show up to the boy, after he'd lied about it several times.

What I try to fight within myself is a tendency to trust those I already agree with, and distrust those I disagree with. It's not easy. So I look closer. What are the actual facts, without commentary?

Right now, I am trusting reputable news sources. I am trusting the direct experience of those on the front lines of the covid-19 battle. I am accepting that what scientists learn about covid-19 is the best they know each day, and that they may get more information tomorrow that mitigates or changes what they know.

And I am trusting that most people really are trying to make the best decisions they can, not only for themselves, but for our world at large.

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