Who You Gonna Trust?

There was a time when it was obvious who the trustworthy were supposed to be: family, friends, religious and civic leaders, to name just a few. These were the people we counted on, those we were sure would never betray us or lead us astray. No one told us of the darker side of these people, and even should we catch a glimpse of "that man behind the curtain", we would still give them the benefit of the doubt.
Trust today has become an endangered aspect of life. In fact, the very people we used to trust well-nigh unconditionally are the same we now reject almost automatically. It seems that trust is a difficult load to carry, and tempting to take advantage of. The politicians we looked to as founts of wisdom are now seen as self-serving buffoons. The clergy we looked to for guidance are now seen as abusers. Doctors are seen as only out for the buck, not for the health of the patient. Teachers, community leaders, others we sought direction from, all are now seen as having some secret motive, some hidden agenda.
Granted, I am painting with a very broad brush. There are many, if not most, in each group who are sincere, competent people that deserve our trust and work hard to earn it. But the average person pays no attention to the exception to their personal rule; they (whoever they might be) are simply not to be trusted. And, unfortunately, there have more than enough instances to make us feel that our bias is valid.
The only solution to this conundrum is to trust. Otherwise, it becomes a problem preventing its own solution. We don't trust others, who therefore resort to the very behavior we didn't trust the for (because, after all, why not? they already don't trust!) and this confirms us in our decision not to trust. But if we would reclaim trust as important to our lives, we must take the risk. Trust is like a muscle: if you want to strengthen it, you must use it. And the only way to exercise is, uh, to trust!
This is not a quick solution; much water has gone under this particular bridge and change will come gradually. But there is another side to this. They must act in such a way as to prove trust worthy! Which might mean acting in the same way as they already do. But when people realize that it might be in their best interests to behave in a more trustworthy manner, they will seek to make the things they do more obvious.We sometimes don't trust people not because of what they do, but because of what we assume they might have done.
Please do not assume the above is only social commentary: one of the biggest issues couples bring into marital therapy is trust! It applies to couples, families, friends and neighbors.
Of course, there are those whose entire life is built around not trusting anybody. And there are those who should be treated with an excess of caution. But we cannot get anywhere in society if we assume such are the common breed around us. You can begin on the right path by trusting everything I just said.