Ipsos Reid did a poll in Canada in the middle of December 2011, asking Canadians which professions they trusted the most. Top of the list? Well... pharmacists, doctors, Canadian soldiers, and airline pilots are all in the 70% range. Bottom of the list? Not suprisingly... car salespeople at 6%. Church leaders come in at a mediocre 33% having lost 5 points from last year. That is now below plumbers, chiropractors and financial advisors.
Which makes me wonder... what is trust? Does it matter what sort of trust we place in a person? Perhaps it does... We're entrusting pharmacists, doctors, and airline pilots with our lives, literally. But then police officers and soldiers would seem to be on a par, and yet they're not. Police at 57% and Canadian soldiers at 74%. Apparently news reports play a role in who trustworthy we perceive people/professions to be. Bad press about the RCMP means a drop in trustworthiness at the polls. Same with church leaders. Some bad press over the last year and all church leaders are viewed as being less trustworthy.
Which means... we are for more interconnected than we think. My trustworthiness can have implications for my entire profession. The behaviour of one person can have ripple effects far beyond them.
Bishop Raymond Lahey didn't really think through what it would mean to look at child pornography on his computer. He didn't think through what it would mean when he was caught... and charged... and convicted... and sentenced. His behaviour affects the whole Catholic Church in Canada and beyond.
Russell Williams, disgraced former commander of CFB Trenton and convicted serial killer didn't really think through his actions in stalking, raping and murdering women. He didn't really think it through... what it would mean to be stripped of his rank, to be disgraced with a dishonourable discharge, to have his medals confiscated... to be thrown in jail... to have all of his military kit burned in a roaring furnace. But does anyone really think through how their actions will affect themselves and the greater world?
When we toss a piece of trash on the ground... do we really think through how it might have bigger ramifications? Probably not... but maybe we could...
Trust starts in our private lives... trustworthiness starts with the little things that we do in secret... or that we think we do in secret. Nothing is every really a secret... it will come out eventually, and the questions for us really is... what sort of legacy do we want to leave in the world... for ourselves and for others?
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