Trust is not something I have given a lot of thought to in my life. But recent events have forced me into some prolonged ruminations. I think I am quite a trusting person, some might even say naive. I tend towards the gullible, not seeing any obvious reason for people to lie, exaggerate, or deceive.

As a rule, I trust my friends and family to have my best interests at heart, I trust partners to be faithful and honest, I trust shopkeepers not to rip me off, and I trust my government to do its best for the welfare of my fellow citizens (there’s some naivete right there!). And trust is a two-way contract. My friends no doubt expect me to look out for them, my family quite rightly expect that I will always do my best to love and care for them.

But what happens when trust breaks down? When a previously harmonious relationship, marked by seemingly mutual trust, is sullied by the failure of one party to honour their half of the contract? Well, my reaction can be measured in stages: anger, an eruption of cynicism, and now sadness.

I hope this situation can be resolved, that trust can be restored. We’ll see, I guess. For now, I am looking at this as a learning curve. I always knew that people have an extraordinary capacity for deviousness. I just wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of it.