Can I trust you?

I can drive along the highway at 65mph and city streets at 45mph, or whatever the speed limit of that road, only by trusting hundreds of other drivers. Some of the other drivers are not-at-all trustworthy. Some are very bad people. Some are careless. Others are nice, but are my ideological opponents. I would not trust most of these people with any kind of personal information and certainly not any company operational information.

And yet, I trust them not just with my car but with my very life. If I did not trust the other drivers to stay in their lane (mostly), and not cross the road directly in front of me, I would have to drive much slower, if at all. So how can I trust, and work together with, people that I strongly disagree with on so many things? Trust in other people comes from a full understanding of each person’s own self-interest, and through trust in higher authorities.

Each person, acting in their own best interest, will do what is ultimately best for everyone provided that each person has a full understanding of what is in their best interest. Can I prove that this statement is true? Maybe, but it would take more than one post. If anyone would like to provide counter- examples or arguments, that will give me more to talk about for later. Anyway, in the driving example this is pretty obvious. Each person follows the rules, so they do not damage their own vehicle or body.

People do not act in their own or other’s best interest, however, when they do not have a full understanding of what is in their best interest or if they think that they have found a shortcut. This is where a higher authority can prove to be quite useful. They paint the stripes on the road, install traffic lights, and stop people from driving dangerously.

This higher authority within a family would be the parents, within an organization it is the leaders, in a nation it is the government, and in some cultures it is God. If these higher authorities are trustworthy, they make it possible to trust others, by making it easier to see that doing good to others is good for you. They make short-term self-interest line up with long-term best interest. Done right, parenting, government, and other forms of leadership make life better for everyone.

In order for authorities to enable trust they must be just. They must be consistent. They cannot give special treatment for arbitrary reasons. They cannot accept bribes. And they must, themselves, be held accountable by someone. Any authority that is not subject to another authority or held in check by an equal power will quickly become corrupt and be no use in enabling trust.

China as a nation and a culture has a dangerously low supply of trust. This lack of trust makes it very difficult for them to grow economically, politically or culturally in a healthy sustainable way. Granted China’s growth in recent years has been phenomenal, but keep in mind that much of this growth has been through use of force. Force as an alternative to trust gives many of the same results quickly but those results are easily lost especially when the force is removed. Force acts as a growth hormone or a steroid. It is very effective, but also a bit dangerous.

As amazing as China’s growth has been, it is nothing compared to it’s potential. If we could encourage a culture of trust in China, we could solve half the worlds problem’s in a few years. If the people of China do not learn to trust, the nation and the whole world are in serious trouble. Unfortunately that is going to require a major cultural change.

Normally, I prefer cultural preservation. I enjoy the old world charm, ancient traditions, and excellent craftsmanship of traditional cultures. No other culture has such a long and prolific history of inventiveness as China, but also within that culture is a tradition of suspicion and fear. I would love to rediscover as much of China’s ancient traditions, and to restore it’s ancient glory, but this one thing needs to change.