As human beings, we are relational beings.
Some attitudes are very important in a relationship. Here I will mention only
one of the many them: Trust.
We are living in a formation community in
which we have students who are preparing themselves to become Missionaries of
Africa and the formators who are trying their best to prepare these students.
In this big community, we are relational
at different levels; relation of: students among themselves; formators among
themselves, then relationship between the students and the formators and
vice-versa. Is there trust at these different levels of relationship? I am not
sure that I will answer this question. Nevertheless, I might answer other
questions, which are not asked, and through them, it is possible that the
reader will find his answer to the question.
Trust as a desire
Though I did not answer the previous
question, what I am sure is that my deepest desire is that trust may reign
among us at all levels. How I wish everybody would nourish the same desire in
our community! A desire is like a dream: it can come true… Let us all desire to
trust one another and work to the actuation of that desire.
Trust as a choice
To desire to trust is not enough for it to
turn into reality. A wish alone does not turn something into reality. Beside
the desire, we need to choose. In our life, we can choose to trust, we can also
choose not to trust. At times, we trust some people and not others… Why? Each
one knows why. At times, we choose to trust some people in some situations
rather than in others…
Trust as a decision
After we have chosen to trust, we need to
decide to trust so that we may work toward the implementation of trust.
Whom to trust?
We need to trust the people whom we are in
relation with. Nevertheless, the first person we are in relation with is our
own self. Each one should trust himself. Unfortunately, some people do not
trust their own self. This can lead to bad performance in academic
and professional life. Nevertheless, when someone begins to trust himself, he
can experience wonders about his own life.
After that trust of oneself, then we
should move to the trust of others. However, here it is only someone who trusts
himself that can trust others. Those who do not trust themselves will find it
difficult to trust others.
The challenge of trust
Trust can be challenged by the attitude of
some members of the community, especially when there is lack of honesty and
sincerity. The lack of these two realities can make someone to stop trusting
some people, or at times a category of people, or even the whole group, the
whole community…
In the context of a formation house, can
formators still trust students after some unpleasant behaviors of the latter?
Can students still trust formators while they know that these people have got as part of their responsibility to
evaluate them, to write their reports and decide on their continuation or
discontinuation? Can students still nourish the trust among themselves while
they are aware of some bad behaviors of some of them? Can formators promote
trust among themselves?
My credo about trust
I believe that trust is possible among
human being whatever their experience might have been in their life of
relationship.
I believe that human beings are
perfectible.
I believe that a human being is beyond
what he does. Thus, I will not confine anybody in his past, in his failures, in
his weaknesses.
I believe that when I trust someone, I
allow him to develop his potentialities and to become more human. I contribute
to his personal growth.
From what precedes, I desire to trust; I
choose to trust and I decide to trust.
Cekoroba Arsène KAPYA
