Reality Can Bite

Is it possible to really know another person? Is it possible to have faith in others and believe them?

I guess what I'm really asking is if it is possible to Completely Trust another person.

Trust is both an emotional and logical act.

Emotionally, it is where you expose your vulnerabilities to people, but believe they will not take advantage of your openness.

Logically, it is where you have assessed the probabilities of gain and loss, calculating expected utility based on hard performance data, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner.

In practice, trust is a bit of both. I trust you because I have experienced your trustworthiness and because I have faith in human nature.

Trust means making an exchange with someone when you do not have full knowledge about them, their intent and the things they are offering to you.

So trust is a risk....Trust means enabling other people to take advantage of your vulnerabilities—but expecting that they will not do this.

In the end, it all comes down to the fine line between who you thought that person was, and the truth....and only time will tell if it was worth the risk.