Trust or Fear?

Trust, an interesting concept, controls how we interact with our entire world. The only reason we get in our cars to go somewhere is because we trust that the car can get us there. We share information with others based on how much we trust them, some know our whole life story while others may only know some of our favorite movies or restaurants. To a very select few we trust with our heart with the hope that they will cherish, love, and protect us from harm, pain, or sadness. Unfortunately trust is often misplaced in others who had no intention of protecting us but only wanted to do things to benefit themselves. When our trust is broken we often have a hard time trusting others, especially the one or ones who broke the trust.

On April Fools Day in 2011, I was driving from college to spend the weekend at home when I was involved in an accident. My car wound up on its side blocking two lanes of traffic. Luckily, my only physical injury was a bruise from the seat belt, but the mental toll was a bit more than that. This was my first experience where the vehicle I had been riding in had been in such a dramatic event. To this day I am wary of the place this accident happened and I am very cautious when I pass that place. My trust had been broken, I no longer was living in the world where cars were perfectly safe, I entered the world where each driving experience had potential to be dangerous.

Since then I have decided that when we experience a breach of trust we can suffer from PTSD (Post Trust Stress Disorder, a theory based off of the real PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). While the similarities between the two are limited they share a few commonalities. 

1. If not dealt with properly, breaches of trust and traumatic events can cause unsettling fear when confronted with similar situations or problems. 

2. The fear experienced can begin to limit your ability to perform tasks that once seemed simple.

After this wreck, it took me a while to be comfortable driving again. I drove out of necessity not because I wanted to be driving. The same process can happen in smaller and individual ways as well, when one gives their heart to another and gets hurt, they will most likely be more timid in the future whether it shows immediately on the outside or not. The fear that has been generated from the negative experience, if not overcome, begins to eat away at their desire to trust or to love. 

For me, I take into account that the majority of my driving experiences have been completely safe and, basing my thoughts on that, I am comfortable in the driver seat of a car. If I had thrown away all the positive experiences I have had while driving just because of a few negative experiences, I would live in a world dominated by my fears. Unfortunately, some are unable, for whatever reason, to shake off the negativity generated by the past. For some it is psychological, the result of depression or another mental illness but for others their lives can change just as quickly as their perspective. 

Maybe the negativity in the past can be changed by a shift in perspective, maybe it will take some recovery time, and in some cases, even professional help but if you achieve the feat of turning the negativity into something that doesn't need to be feared you will be free. You will find the light shines a little brighter and the troubles seem less troubling because you know how to overcome them.

Do you trust me?

Thanks for reading.