by Hla Min
Updated : May 2025
Younger Days
We were delighted to know that most doors (e.g in some parts of Yamethin) were left open at night. It was an indication of a high level of trust among people.
Much later
We saw guarded windows and doors (with multiple locks) in most places. It might indicate a deterioration of trust among people.
No Exception for USA
Trust also eroded in the USA. In addition to the locks, there are security cameras and recording systems to deter vandalism and thefts.
In some places, car windows are broken to take away valuables in the car. Restaurants place signs “Do not leave valuables in your car”.
Misplaced or Lost Item
Back in the days of our parents and grand parents, one is sure to get back a misplaced item.
My friend Patrick remembered that his father left a hat at Rangoon Turf Club and he found it untouched on his preferred seat the following week.
Trust worldwide
Around the world, more people lost trust in banking corporations and investment firms after being hit by Ponzi schemes, scams and variants.
The use of simple passwords has given way to longer pass phrases that are harder to crack.
Login to computer systems prefer multi-factor authentication (e.g. bio-metrics). The computer sends back a code to be used for verification. Even then, no system that has a “back door” is safe forever. It may be safe for a specified period of time.
Companies track the activities of their employees. Essentially, no one is to be trusted fully in the modern age with a gazillion of malicious schemes.
A different view of trust has evolved. People check feedback (e.g. on Yelp) to decide if a product or service is trustworthy. How much does an average person trust a room-sharing service or a ride-sharing service or a friend on an Internet Chat.
Zaw Winn wrote :
When the Trust is directly proprtional to Loyalty ;
When Loyalty is directly proportional to Contentedness ;
When Contentedness is directly proportional to Sufficiency ;
When Sufficiency is directly proportional to Abundance ;
….
Trust is readily available.
HlaMin 