Trust and Its Frailty

How strong is human trust? Is it so strong that it is unbreakable or is its strength merely a façade for what it really is? There are so many mechanics in our society that need a social contract of trust to actually be able to operate. This would include pharmaceuticals, driving on the highway, education, etc. But what happens when that trust seems to waver is devastating. This is what happens in Albert's, The Plague. People began to not trust each other because anyone could be a carrier of the plague. It could even be their spouse, their parent, their child, or their friend. No one is safe and therefore no one is trusted. We had our eyes opened to this when we COVID first began. We still see it now. That contract of trust in between individuals has been injured due to the pandemic and it will most definitely take time to heal. It amazes me to think about because how could such rational beings as humans allow trust to fly out the window in an instant? We would rather choose what makes us feel safe rather than what is actually safe. This not only applies to the pandemic in our time and in Albert's novel, but to many instances in life. Instead of trusting someone that we are safe around we would rather withdraw and do things a different way that only make us feel safer. 

I commented on Emma Kate Patterson's post and on Ashlyn Scism's post. 

Comments

  1. Haylee LyndFebruary 22, 2022 at 9:33 AM

    It was interesting to me how everyone not trusting each other because of the plague made Cottard feel more at one with everyone around him because he would spend each day worrying whether who he was talking to was a cop or not. It's interesting too that something that brings people "into the same boat" is them not wanting to be in the same boat. They all have in common their lack of trust for one another.

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