“Trust dies but mistrust blossoms.” ~ Sophocles.

Full disclosure: Having recently returned from a road trip that ended at 3:00 am a few days ago, I am still lagging.  We traversed eleven states to our furthest destination, and returned through an additional five, seeing beautiful countryside, trees in full Spring-time greenery and blossoms, and avoiding cable news for much of the trip. But thanks to smart phones and popup news flashes, current affairs broke through.

On a road trip long ago, one which covered a very different part of the country, with a forest which consisted of strange saguaro trees (if they can be called trees!) and amazing red rocks rising up in strange sculptures, we found a book which could be read as you drove (not by the driver, hopefully!).  For each stretch of the journey the book told of particular points of interest; historical details; in some cases, unproven hauntings.  One story stayed with me.  The story went that in an area of the high desert, scientists tested the lunar rover before going to the moon.  Since they were on an Indian Reservation, they were accompanied by an Indian from the area.  On their travels the group were met by an old Indian who asked (in his own language) who these men were, and what they were doing.  The guide told him that they were preparing to go to the moon, a place where, per their traditions, their people had traveled many years before.  The old Indian told him to take a message to his people, tell them ‘Don’t trust the White man! He will take your land and all your possessions!’.

Another group of people in this country with a long history of not being able to trust, in particular the medical system, is African Americans.  Anyone who has read about the Tuskegee Syphilis ‘Experiment’ can understand.  And that is one that made the news.  What other stories have not been so fully exposed?  How many women were forcibly and unknowingly sterilized?  (There are more recent stories of this happening to female immigrant detainees also).  But with Big Pharma, and big healthcare profits, how easy is it to trust that prescribed treatments are in the patient’s best interest?

In my down time on this trip I have been thinking about trust lost, and trust restored.  When a wife discovers (or is forced to confront the fact) that her husband is, has been, may even continue to be unfaithful (this of course could be either spouse, to be fair), it seems practical to go forward expecting the worst.  I once observed a co-worker tell an outright lie to my face (one which was easily disproved).  From that point on I assumed that every word spoken by him was untrue.  It seemed like the only way to protect myself.  If he told me that a certain medication could be administered intravenously, I immediately went to the drug resources to verify (it couldn’t, as it happened).  My eyes were opened, I knew how to operate whenever we worked together.

With the advent of AI, particularly without any significant restrictions, we are being fed content all day long which may be completely fake.  I get annoyed reading what seems to be Chat GPT (or other such program) generated posts which are excessively long. Once I learned the abbreviation TLDR (too long, didn’t read) I have chanted it frequently.  And for some reason there will be obvious mathematical errors.  ‘Six words that changed history!’ and try as you will, you can only find five, or seven words that seem significant.  I hope that one day all AI generated content will have a watermark or similar disclaimer, so that you will know before you read, or watch.  Much like cigarette warning labels, these disclaimers would let you decide whether you wished to watch or not.

The current level of deception to which we are being exposed seems to be criminal.  A small segment of the population is benefitting mightily through the manipulation of markets, through insider knowledge, through corrupt business deals.  Meanwhile, the average man on the street cannot afford to fill up his gas tank.  People are literally deciding between health insurance premiums and food on the table.  Credit cards are being used to pay bills.  A government goes to war without giving an explanation, and without the authorizations required by the Constitution.  History is being whitewashed, programs are being decimated, medical misinformation is being amplified at the highest level.  Who and what can we trust?

Like the spouse betrayed, what does it take to restore trust in a government which seems to have no accountability?  A government which is supposed to be for the people, by the people, now seems to be operating with impunity, for one group of the people only.  When the person who has betrayed your trust is your teenage child, you impose tight restrictions.  I remember hearing the story years ago of a mother who had to work nights.  She discovered her teenage daughter was sneaking out after she left for work, so she handcuffed her to the bed.  A bit drastic, but I suspect many parents sympathized with the mother!  But whether through the imposition of strict rules, grounding, removal of privileges, parents have found ways to restore order and protect their wayward children.  Society does the same with those who break the law.  There are penalties.

I suspect that for this country, the road to restored trust will be much longer.  In South Africa after the end of Apartheid, they chose to use the process of ‘Truth and Reconciliation’, permitting those in authority who had committed the worst crimes against humanity to come before the Commission and admit their atrocities.  In doing so those who had been wronged could face the transgressors, could hear their admissions, could at least hear the confessions.  For many wronged spouses, to hear the cheater admit the truth, rather than the constant denials which are a form of gaslighting, is a relief.  I knew I wasn’t crazy!

We must prepare for some hard conversations, if we are to move forward to a better place.  With the current administrations’ policies of abolishing DEI practices; with State legislatures redrawing districts to disenfranchise groups of voters; with the Supreme Court supporting such redistricting, there is a lot of work to be done in restoring justice and fairness for those who have long been discriminated against.  It was Peter Tosh who sang: ‘I don’t want no peace, I just want equal rights, and justice’.  And this country has drifted far away from the concept that ‘…all men are created equal’.

On this Friday morning, having seen some of the beauty of this country, I have to acknowledge that there is a lot of ugliness which has to be addressed.  If everyone has the right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ then we must work towards it, and hold those accountable who seem to be interfering with that pursuit.  It is a goal worth fighting for!

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste,