trust

We've all asked somebody the question "Can I trust you?" I've done a lot of thinking lately and that question is one of the most pointless out there.

By the time we ask that to someone we've already made up our mind whether or not we trust them. It's almost rhetorical if you don't trust them because you know they're going to say yes. If we do trust them then they're only reaffirming our trust which isn't needed because they're always going to say yes.

Now when it comes time to tell them whatever your pressing issue is the trust again comes into play. If it is actually some huge secret then several things can happen. If you don't trust them then you will decide to not tell them anything, you will tell them a partial truth, or you will tell them a different secret that is much less serious or it might not even be a secret. In some rare cases you tell the untrustworthy person your secret hoping he or she spills it. Only in very particular cases does that happen.

If you trust the person and you ask them if you can trust them you have already made up your mind that you're sharing your secret. An untrustworthy person would lie to you and say you can trust them. Therefore you better pray that your initial judgement was right.

Trust is something earned. It isn't something you gain through a simple question.

Just a thought.