For the past 50 years of my adult life I have worked each and every day.
All of my work has been centered in some aspect of the financial world.
In all of this time I have worked in the arena of money, investments, and accounting for each. In addition, my work has been totally involved with people – fellow workers, the public and retired persons.
At times it has been somewhat confrontational, while at other times less stressful, but at all times it has been demanding.
The one thing I have found in all of my dealings with others is, the need for and absolute requirement of, trust.
Without “trust” nothing is possible.
Whether dealing on a personal basis with others, or in the study of a variety of materials required to invest funds – trust is essential.
One has to be able to believe in what is said or promised by another.
All of the relationships I have developed with my retiree associates centers solely around this one factor. They trust me implicitly – for I am the one person who sends them their monthly pension check. A financial means to each, without which, would result in a disaster in their lives. Our relationship at times has been a beautiful one, with each of us knowing that the one could always depend on the other.
In today’s world of financial collapse this one factor – trust – has been violated.
In any relationship, employee/employer, business, investments, even marriage – trust is the most important factor. Without trust, no one can rely on the actions of others – ever.
If you cannot trust the word or actions of another, everything in that relationship grinds to a halt.
That is what has happened recently in the lives of so many.
Much has been lost because of this. Lives, financial fortunes, marriages – everything. How sad! that the lives of so many could be so affected by the actions of such a relatively few.
It can also be said, with some degree of assuredness, that trust once lost, is rarely ever regained.
Much has been written of late, that the cause of this lost of trust – and resulting wealth, was greed.
That insatiable desire to own, acquire or achieve everything without regard to anything else. To some – enough is never enough, and in order to achieve it, deceit enters the equation. So the three factors become – deceit, driven by greed, results in loss of trust. And with the loss of trust, again, is the loss of everything.
I believe that is why God told us "not to covet" something belonging to another.
I’m not trying to be some pious, self-righteous person – I only mention all of this for purpose of explaining what – to me – is the most factor in relationships with others – trust.
Everything else is secondary.
