I like watching the TED
talks. I like listening the different kinds of speakers. I admire the
really nervous ones who are so passionate about their subjects that
despite their nerves – many of them shaking visibly - they get up
in front of an audience of their peers and deliver their message,
whatever its popularity may be. Sometimes, I admire them far more
than the subject of their discourse. Its not often that I will find a
subject completely absorbing, or one that I totally agree with,
infact they are in the minority. Take this example of the talk you
will find attached today.
The subject matter deals
with cultivating and re-establishing trust. That many difficulties
could be avoided or resolved, if trust exists between the two
parties. So far, I agree with that concept albeit with some
scepticism. However, I didn’t particularily agree with the manner
of going about achieving that trust. The speaker propounded that we
need to project the image of who we really are, that we shouldn`t
seek to hide from people our true selves. And so, it would
naturally follow that people would then be more inclined to trust us.
Sounds good doesn`t it.
Sounds like that might actually work. But in the end, in my opinion,
its the very image that we put forward that engenders trust, be it a
true or a false one. Well, false isn`t necessarily the most correct
word. Let me explain.
Surely what we need to
establish are the ground rules for what trust may be based on. Is it
“total honesty, come what consequences may”? Should we all be
saying, “this is me, this is who I am, like it or not”. Where
then, is the striving for improvement, even, in some cases, the
striving for excellence? Is it likely, for instance, that some giant
corporation is going to say, “Look! We`re here to make a profit at
your expense”? And then sit back and relax and expect us, Joe
Public, to say “Oh yes, I now trust them implicitly since they`ve
been so honest as to admit their true selves”? I think none of us
would be that green!
If that doesn`t work with
corporations, what about individuals? It`s true to say that we are
all so quick to distrust. In fact, in the world in which we live,
distrust has become a natural part of our daily existence. Isn`t
Preseident Trump always accusing the press of diseminating false
news. And while we might think him a little on the idiotic side, can
you really say that you remain completely unaffected by his comments?
What is it that really
forms the basis of trust? Yes, of course honesty is important, but in
the end trust is about the relationship between two separate
entities. What other things may affect that relationship? Many
things. We may admire it when the other entity – individual or
corporation – admits a fault, for instance. But that in itself
doesn`t make a basis for trust. Isn`t it also, the desire to believe
that the other entity is striving to improve? To be more than they
have been? To be better?
Where would Roger Federer
be if, the first time he lost in tennis he just said “well, that’s
just who I am”, and then never tried to achieve improvement? Isn`t
there, therefore, a danger of self-complacency? We despise it in the
big corporations; international relations are all about wanting the
other party to show signs of being open to discussion to see where
improvements and consessions can be made. Should we, as individuals,
at least not strive to be more than as we were born? Isn`t life all
about learning? What then, is the point of learning, if not
improvement? At what point do we say,”OK, I`m done with the
self-improvement thing”? Hasn`t history condemned those who said
such a thing? Do we not say: “you should have know/seen the
consequences”?
Well, if nothing else,
this article is full of questions! But I hope that they at least make
you think about the image you may be projecting and how truthful or
perceptable that image may be. If, indeed you care?
