An Experiment on Trust

Sometime back, I visited Chennai to attend the Global Investors Meet 2015, which was held in a grand fashion.

 I took a cab from my hotel in Koyambedu to the Chennai Trade Centre at Nandambakkam. On reaching the destination, I found that the meter read Rs.150/-. Unfortunately, I did not have change in my wallet.  I had only 1000 Rupee notes. So I gave it to the driver and the driver said that he too did not have change. As there was a parking difficulty in the gate of the Venue and there were no shops nearby to go and get any change, we were in a fix. I told the cab driver, it was my mistake that I did not carry change with me and I also asked him, as I had to anyway return to the hotel room from the Venue, in the evening, can he come and pick me up from the Venue at 4.30pm. He readily obliged and at the same time was surprised.

 

Probably he must have never met a customer like me, who gives him Rs.1000/- and trusts him to come back. All that I had was his phone number and no other evidence. So even in case he did not come back, there was no way I could get back the balance money. I am sure, not many people would dare to do such stupid things. Am I right? Well, it was just a matter of Trust in a fellow human being.

 

Here is where something very interesting happened. The cab driver kept calling me once every 30 minutes, after 2pm and asked if the programme was over. I told him to relax, and take other rides and come only by 4.30pm. But he was in the Venue at 3.30pm. He called me and said that he is waiting for me in the parking lot and said he will wait and not to hurry.

 

So, after finishing the programme I came out at 5pm and he was happy to see me. I had to go to a few more places, where he took me and waited without any fuss, till reaching me back at my hotel room at 8,30pm. When we parted, he gave me the balance amount after the actual charges and I voluntarily gave him additional Rs.100, as I felt he had waited too long for me. He was delighted. He thanked me whole heartedly and asked me to call him whenever next I come to Chennai.

 

I realised how much of a positive impact, my trust had on him. Infact, he wanted to prove double worthy of my trust, by coming early.

 

In light of the above context, I would like to question, how many of us are open to the idea of trusting people. With so much of negative news on media, about crime and thefts we have lost our ability to trust people. We are rather afraid to trust people, because we don’t want to end up, as a laughing stock.

 

I am not saying that we will not be cheated if we trust. People who trust are prone to be cheated. But may be 1 in a 100, would be a cheat, then why should we look at all the other 99 with the same perception. Will we be happy if somebody doubts us? Don’t we feel hurt when somebody doesn’t trust us? Is it not the same with everyone?

 

We have always been taught to doubt people, rather than trust them. We assume that the world is full of cheats, and unless we are shrewd and careful enough, people will cheat us. My take on this is, “if a person is a cheat, no matter how much cautious you are he/ she will still cheat you and if the person is a good person, no matter how much careless you are, he/she will still not cheat you”.

 

I have had experiences in my life, where I have trusted people and have been cheated. In the process, I have also lost a lot money. But this has not stopped me from trusting people. I still continue to trust, because trusting is my nature and I see no better option.  People may think I am naïve or I haven’t learnt the lesson from my mistakes. But I don’t see trusting people, as a mistake. May be I should be more prudent before trusting, but I can never stop trusting.

 

Trusting People and Being Trustworthy is a character we form at our childhood days. Our childhood environment, shapes our belief of the world. So, I urge all parents to inculcate the value of trust in their children as a lifelong gift.

 

D. Senthil Kannan,

Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com