This is the first in a series of introductory pieces – Development Notes - concerning issues that impact community life. I am sending these to a select group of people who may be interested in a conversation around improving local communities. Notes and other information are available at: onespace.org
Development Note #1: Trust
It seems that many of our major social and intellectual institutions have lost our trust, and it doesn’t take a genius to see the effects this has had on our national politics and local communities. I asked an “impartial” observer, ChatGPT, “What do Americans distrust?”
The list it offered was extensive, but no surprise:
Government and politics
Media
Corporations and businesses
Law enforcement and the justice system
Healthcare system
Science and public health
Education system
Institutions of faith or community
Americans have a big trust problem.
A sense of trust is a foundation for many relationship-based human activities. We trust in money as an exchange medium, and the fact that water will flow downhill, but we don’t trust our important institutions that society depends upon to continue functioning. And there are indications that we don’t care as much about each other as we used to. This is serious. And it’s almost silly: how much we need and want to trust, and yet how easily we can take this basic component of society—trust—for granted.
Most of us don’t talk about trust, unless a trust is violated. Losing trust suddenly or over time can be devastating. And if something or someone gives you a reason to not trust them, you will be less likely to care about them.
What can happen when we don’t trust each other?
A teenager who thinks there is no one to trust experiences social isolation, leaving them open to expressions of anger and self-harm.
An older person becomes suspicious of medical treatments and recommendations, causing them to reject life-saving or quality of life-enhancing medical care.
A child suspects that trusting a caregiver is dangerous and fails to share critical information about their needs and safety.
An employee thinks everyone is a backstabber and can’t work effectively in group settings, causing reductions in productivity and workplace wellness.
A nation that does not trust itself can make its citizens feel unsafe, and feeling unsafe can create an uncaring environment. More specifically, when people feel unsafe they stop looking out for each other and care only for themselves (or, at best, only themselves and close family). This “everyone for themselves” approach breaks the social contract we depend upon in order to have functional social groups, and an environment that feels safe and productive.
Today, there is a lot to feel unsafe or uncertain about—political dysfunction, finances, healthcare, war, street violence, child safety, the climate, the rise of AI—so many things that, in an effort to protect ourselves, we may turn away from trying to understand each other and refuse to support the institutions we mistrust.
What’s the answer? Again, I asked ChatGPT for suggestions. It stated that we should “focus on improving transparency, accountability, and open communication.” Nice idea, but here’s the thing: when it comes to our major institutions—government, media, law, politics, and science—can we count on these to promote transparency, accountability, and open communication when we no longer trust them?
The problem has now become a feedback loop, and it needs to be broken. Practically speaking, if we can’t count on top-down governance to break us out of this loop, perhaps we should count on who we are as a social species, individuals who function best when grouped into communities.
Improving local community life may be not our best chance, but perhaps our last and only chance of reestablishing a sense of trust in our society. Beginning with our local institutions, we need community to show us a way forward to a place where we, as citizens, can learn not only to trust each other, but to trust in our ability to manage how we live.
Strong communities are the foundation of a society’s trust. Not so long ago, people had places where a sense of trust could be found—places of worship, social clubs, news programs, and perhaps neighbors, local merchants, and even a politician or a cop on the street. It was a different era, and even if we didn’t acknowledge the trust out loud, we could feel it. We are calmer and happier when we trust; we are calmer and happier when our friends and neighbors trust us.
When it comes to trust, communities are in as bad shape as is the nation. Makes sense—the nation is a collection of local communities. But local communities have an advantage: they are smaller and can be more easily managed to promote social interaction as well as the networking of resources, social and material.
People meeting and getting to know each other is an entryway for trust to develop. Increasing social connections can help a person feel like they belong: you are accepted for who you are, your efforts are appreciated, and you feel safer knowing others are available to help you when you need it. This is what community spirit is: the feeling of belonging that is born out of a growing trust.
There are many nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and even for-profit companies dedicated to helping local people get to know each other, as well as enabling more effective government functions and efficient networking of resources.
Here are a few nonprofit examples.
[ABCD Institute*:** “ABCD believes that relationships are the core of flourishing communities. Relationships create trust and activate gifts and power.”
[Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions* “We envision a future where communities create their own vibrant and lasting solutions to the social and economic problems that they face.”
[Center for Rural Strategies:** “We strive to create better opportunities for small towns and rural communities by building coalitions, developing partnerships, leading public information campaigns, and advancing strategies that strengthen connections between rural and urban places.”
[Smart Growth America “…Each of us can live in a neighborhood that’s beautiful, affordable, and in which it’s easy to get around. We want to create healthy communities with strong local businesses, schools and shops nearby, transportation options and jobs that pay well.”
[Transition Network“Transition groups are working for a low carbon, socially just future with resilient communities, more active participation in society, and caring culture focused on supporting each other.”
Outside organizations can provide helpful perspectives and insights on developing effective community functions. They can help remove obstacles to improvements and create opportunities for genuine social connections—creating a safe space that promotes greater civic participation and a desire to cultivate the kind of place people will want to live.
Development programs should enable citizens to lead the way in a bottom-to-top creation of trust. Local citizens have insights on how organizations’ efforts can best function within their community, and when people form networks of interactions, they make the community what it is—a social, interactive group of locals who care about one another and their society.
Development Notes are discussions of significant issues, not comprehensive explanations. Please direct comments to: Alan Pakaln, alanpakaln@gmail.com.