Chapter 6, Discussion 3

  I found the section about trust, distrust, and unhealthy trust to be most interesting because I can relate to it strongly. Unfortunately, I have trouble trusting others because of my life experiences, and this chapter helped me to reflect on my feelings while getting an outside perspective. I also found the concept of “unhealthy trust” to be interesting because I hadn’t heard of this before reading the chapter. Unhealthy trust is being too gullible and always believing someone without regard to the context of the situation. The example of the roommate leaving the doors and windows open and unlocked is a great one. The roommate is from the Midwest, so he is used to safer neighborhoods where it is customary to leave your house and car unlocked without fear of theft or violation of the property. Though the narrator doesn’t specifically state where they now live, it is implied that it is not in the Midwest, or a safe neighborhood. It is naïve and unsafe for the roommate to assume that it is a safe place, when he is not from the area and does not know for sure. I find this to be a vastly different way to trust others than the way I do. I practice the opposite extreme where I usually suspect others, or assume the worst, until proven otherwise. I know that this, too, can be considered an unhealthy way to trust others, and I hope to work on this as I grow and gain more life experience.