"When trust becomes a matter of doubt in human relations, something incalculable is lost. Think of our propensity for litigation and for throwing people in jail, for relying on legal controls to regulate personal life when only forgiveness and reconciliation will work. It is a sign not only of our lack of trust but also that there is no consensus as to the meaning of the words we use to interpret the world. Prenuptial agreements are surrogates for trust, as are strict rules of engagement in the workplace. One state has made a law that children should address their teachers as Sir or Ma'am; others want to set up the Ten Commandments in public places. Why? Because life falls apart when there are no shared stories embodying agreed-upon values. . . .
"These are among the many forces in the world that erode the conviction that each of us is responsible for our actions and therefore we are able to trust each other. We are more helpless than ever before the power of the pressures of society and its special interest groups. If I am to trust you and you are to trust me, both of us have to be reasonably confident that the other is responsible for his or her actions. Without that moral compass we are lost. A world of individuals who cannot trust one another is a form of hell."
