Trust is foundational to healthy communities and thriving neighbourhoods. When we know that the people who live nearby have our best interests at heart, we can let down our guard and breathe. On Saturday mornings in my neighbourhood it can look a bit like a big swap meet as people lend lawn mowers and power tools. I lent my truck to Steve, Steve helped Colin with his garden, and Colin lent me his pressure washer. Trust comes in many forms. On our street it looks a lot like a garage sale, some days.
Neighbourhood trust is about more than believing another person will not mistreat you. Rather, it is believing that you are part of a community that is actually working for your good along with you – cheering you on and hoping for the very best.
American author Stephen Covey wrote, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” When we set about creating a culture of trust in our neighbourhoods, a newlywed Mennonite couple from Manitoba can live a thriving life in close proximity to a large multi-generational household from India. Trust becomes the means of flourishing for everyone, no matter the background.
When I was six years old was accidentally left outside on a cold Saskatoon winter day. I came home from school and I did not have my house key. I was locked out. After a frigid hour on the front porch, a neighbour who worked for the telephone company saw me, pulled over, and he asked me if I needed help. He was a fixture in the neighbourhood and although he didn’t drive a police car or firetruck, I thought a man in a telephone-line repair truck with a cool boom-arm on top of it was close enough and would have to do in a pinch. I trusted him, and it seemed a much better idea than continue freezing on the front step. I crawled up into the truck to find a warm seat and I told him where my auntie lived. I was found and he took me to safety. Looking back, my parents fostered meaningful and trustworthy neighbourhood connections, and this trust saved me that day. The telephone repair man was more than a passing utility worker, he was a trustworthy neighbour.
Today, most of us rarely experience the need to turn to others for help. We have phones and google maps and texting to say we forgot our keys. We feel self reliant and independent. In fact, if we choose to, we can go most of our lives without needing to truly trust anyone, and some people do. But when we become people who turn from a life of independence to inter-dependence, we become people of trust. When we relate to each other and live in community, we experience a deeper sense of security and belonging that no insurance policy or product could offer.
How do we foster trust? Ernest Hemingway wrote, “the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” Simple and true. Imagine the sense of hope and joy you would have if you discovered that your community was full of trustworthy people. What if right next door there lived people who have your back, celebrate your victories and encourage you in the hard times. Trust holds together all relationships. It’s the glue of life.
