Reassembling the Shattered Glass

Trust is fragile. It is like glass once broken, you can try to glue it back, but the cracks remain. And yet, here we are, living in a world where trust is no longer just personal it is global, political, corporate. Basically, every decision and every action involves this.

The Edelman Trust Barometer paints a sad state of affairs, people trust businesses more than governments, media is seen as divisive, and institutions that once held society together are crumbling. 

We have moved from believing in systems to believing in individuals, from trusting leadership to trusting algorithms. The irony here is that the more we try to verify trust, the less of it we seem to have.

Because trust is not fluffy or abstract. It is about knowing that your thought, word and deeds align. It is about believing that, in the moments that matter, people will show up not just for themselves, but for others.

Seeing Each Other as Humans

Somewhere in our journey, we stopped seeing people as people. We started labeling them based on races, religions, genders, political affiliations. 

Viktor E. Frankl once said that when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. 

But don't you think that change is uncomfortable. It asks us to step outside our biases, to sit in conversations we do not want to have, to acknowledge histories that were buried for a reason. It demands a conversation, a dialogue which may be uncomfortable, messy and not so polite at times .

But how do you talk when history has been rewritten? 

When narratives have been controlled? 

When entire cultures have been told their identity does not matter?

I come from a land where history was rewritten, where generations were taught to see themselves through a borrowed lens. Our traditions, our philosophies, and even our way of thinking were altered, making us question our own identity. We have been a victim of this erasure. 

We talk about peace and reconciliation, but can you reconcile something that was never acknowledged? We talk about recognition of history, but whose history are we recognizing? The best example that I can think of is colonialism. The impact of which is still unfolding. 

And if that was not enough, crisis does not treat everyone equally. The Red Cross reminds us that in times of chaos, inequality only deepens and targets selected sections of the society like women, and marginalized communities.

We are not just one identity, we are layers. As Amartya Sen said, our identities are multiple, ever-changing, and complex. Yet, the world forces us into categories, checkboxes, and sides, ignoring the depth of who we truly are.

Every Shard Matters

Sir Richard Burton once said, All faith in false things eventually shatters. 

"All faith is False, all Faith is true:

Truth is the shattered mirror strown

In myriad bits; while each believes

his little bit the whole to own."

― Richard Francis Burton, Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi

But maybe that is not a bad thing. Maybe when the glass breaks, we get a chance to rebuild. Maybe instead of trying to restore something broken, we can create something new, something stronger, something real.

That is where the 4Ls of Life come in Live, Love, Learn, and Leave a Legacy. Live fully, beyond labels. Love without conditions. Learn not just from history, but from the people around you. And when it is all said and done, leave behind something that actually matters not just for yourself, but for the world.

Because at the end of the day, trust is not built through words. It is built through action. And it is up to us to decide what we do with the pieces.

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