Trust

A few days ago, a letter came from the government. My heart always sinks at the sight of such communications because they never bring good news.

In the old days, the income tax refund was a welcome item, but that is all done electronically now. So what glad tiding did this envelope contain?

It was a notice from Medicare, along with a re-issued Medicare card displaying a new id number, advising me to destroy the old one and notify my providers.

But these days you scrutinise all such things asking yourself if they are legit.

It certainly looked legitimate, but the letter offered no explanation as to why I had suddenly acquired a new id number. Perhaps it was because that fool Musk caused all our private information to be released at large?

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Still not convinced, I interrogated the internet. Is Medicare reissuing id cards?

No. Not in 2026.

So then I signed in to my account where I found that indeed, my number has been changed.

Who to believe?

It is my impression that 75% of the communications I receive, both online and by mail, are scams. Another 10% the result of someone’s incompetence.

What a world we live in.

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Trust, like respect, has to be earned. Very early in life, I learned not to automatically trust adults just because they were older. Mother schooled me carefully without saying anything specific. I clearly remember her suggesting that men could be “nasty”.

It turned out that women and children could also be exceedingly not nice.

Yet, back then there were institutions and certain people you could count on.

For example and perhaps it was naive, I believed the BBC to be a trustworthy source of news. My father had faith in the Times and the Telegraph newspapers.

Why, I don’t know, but I hated newspapers, considering them good only for wrapping fish and chips, cleaning windows, packing parcels, or, in the not-so-good old days, – tearing up to wipe your bum!

During my childhood, people seldom sought medical care, but in those days my parents certainly trusted doctors, as well as solicitors and teachers. Maybe even the bank manager.

Government officials? Well they worked for the government, so whether or not you trusted them depended on your politics, but I think years ago I would have accepted as truthful information given by the Home Office or State Department.

Nowadays? I believe what is in front of my face.

Until recently, I used to watch presidential addresses, not because I expected them to be entirely truthful but because I was interested to know what I was supposed to believe. Currently, though, there is absolutely no way I will subject myself to such utter nonsense. All I could gain would be heartburn and a migraine headache.

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It could be said that if you can’t trust your friends, they’re not friends. But friends are human and humans are fallible. A friend would not lie to you, but they could very well avoid telling you something they believe might offend or hurt you. And sometimes friends try to help you in ways that are extremely unhelpful, believing they know better what is good you.

Sometimes, you discover that you have been befriended for a reason other than friendship, which can be seriously hurtful and results in your losing trust in everyone.

Can we even trust ourselves? I am very impulsive. In emotional situations I am apt to take action I never normally would, to my cost. I have a long fuse, but when it has burned out and especially if I am tired or feeling unwell, I boil over. I can’t trust myself in that situation either. Or when I’ve been hurt by a friend!

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As I got older, I learned to take a deep breath and pause before reacting, evaluating and thinking through any given situation.

Not that I have always managed it.

Otherwise I would still be living in Washington State!

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