The foundations of a good society are built on trust.
Trust isn't built just by people obeying the law, although that is important.
Trust isn’t built just by the laws being just, although that is important, too.
Trust is built, in particular, by people doing things for each other from a place of generosity and kindness.
Our lives didn't used to have apps to deliver everything to our doors and do everything for us.
We used to regularly ask neighbors for baking ingredients, get friends to give us rides, help each other shovel, watch each other's kids (or pets), and share in the good times and bad.
Now, many people don't even know the names of the people who live on their block.
We don't ask for help freely, nor do we give it.
Everything is monetized. Everything is measured.
And, in this, we lose something.
Did you know that asking someone for a small favor that is within their power is actually a proven way to earn their trust?
Did you know that working with someone on a small project in the past is one of the strongest predictors of future trust and collaboration?
We are wired to help each other.
We've evolved biologically to help each other.
We've evolved spiritually to help each other.
All of our biology works better when we are surrounded by trust - and, when we are not, our brains work differently.
Trust allows us to consistently access the higher capacities of our brains - the parts of them that are uniquely human, innovative, and inspiring.
The kind of trust that is built on helping and being helped - free from monetary exchange or legal requirement - is being lost.
And we are left in our political echo chambers of digital media and social media - sliding into thinking that what matters *most* is whether someone else agrees with the specific nuances of our personal stance on everything political under the sun.
We are at a particularly dark and challenging time in the arc of human evolution.
And this week is particularly painful and hard on so many levels.
In the face of all of this, what can I do?
What can you do?
I cannot fix everything.
You cannot fix everything.
But you can ask what kindness and goodness *is* in your power right now, and build from there.
A world of goodness isn't all built on grand acts or declarations.
This doesn't require being a superhero (although if that is your jam, by all means please go for it).
You can show people around you that good people still care.
The day to day lived experience of your life, and those around you, is determined by the kind of trust I'm talking about.
And the best thing is, you have power over it.
You can be kind and patient.
You can be generous.
You can be giving.
You can ask for help.
You can connect with your neighbors.
You can let the car turn at the light in front of you.
You can let a pedestrian cross the street if they've been waiting.
You can hold a door just because.
You can smile and say hi to strangers on the street as you walk past them.
You can introduce yourself to your neighbors.
You can pick up trash in public parks and streets.
You can say hello and thank you to people picking up trash, cleaning restrooms, and doing the dirty work of making society run.
You can donate money, food, or time to organizations that lift people up from the hardest points of life.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
There is no right or wrong way to do this.
So, if you want the world to be a better place, what acts of building trust, kindness, and goodness in the world can you do in the coming week?
I'd love to hear your ideas.
We can all add drops and glimmers of light into what can otherwise seem hard and hopeless.
Your light and how you share it matters more deeply than you know.
