Trust is a very important thing. Yet in today's remarkably cynical world, trust is incredibly hard to gain, difficult to keep and almost impossible to build into character. Character is of course, built on trust. It is the product of a person's honesty, commitment and nature, and is directly tied to someone's actions and words.
I don't normally think a great deal about such abstract concepts as character and trust, and in fact, I rarely think much at all -- I'm a government major. But two nights ago, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is often sardonic, cynical and sarcastic and who is not someone you should ever call to cheer you up. Yet, in talking, he mentioned to me that he never listens to something someone has said without wondering for what motive that person said it. In the same vein, he interestingly said that he never notices something someone has done, without wondering for what underlying reason that person has done it.
That was a little disturbing, but at the same time it spoke to me a great deal about our modern society, and especially about our views toward government.
Time magazine ran a poll in its most recent issue that showed that the fewest number of Americans trusted their government today since the days of Watergate. I think most of us would agree that any time we hear a politician say anything, or propose anything, we wonder what ulterior motive is running through their head. We just don't trust them to honestly state their views.
This phenomenon is evident in the public perception of our current President, Bill Clinton. Candidate-Clinton never gained the true trust of the voters. His marijuana troubles and draft escapades hurt his character. And while many derided the "character issue" during the 1992 campaign, it is precisely that issue that leads many Americans to distrust President Clinton and the motives behind his proposals today.
On our campus, in the realm of SA politics, the same thing occurs. It is rare that someone's views are held as truly sincere, and for good reason. Too often, issues are seized upon for political grandstanding and for personal gain. That's unfortunate, because at Dartmouth, we deserve to learn how to think and to believe, but we don't deserve to learn how to think cynically.
