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Restoring Trust

All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust. - J.M.Barrie
Image: Caminho - Roberto Weigand
Dear <>
Trust in Basic Goodness
We are bombarded daily with bad news - messages that insist that people are bad and that there is big trouble afoot.  Whilst it is true that there are very real and urgent challenges that we face both collectively and individually, that does not mean we are inherently flawed.  Scientists are now demonstrating that we are actually built to be kind - and that, as Stephen Hawking points out, it is in our evolutionary interests to practice empathy and compassion towards each other.   

Restoring Trust
Many of us grew up with some sort of sense of unworthiness or not-good-enoughness - my brand of it came in part from growing up in evangelical churches which taught me I was basically sinful and needed to constantly apologise for existing - which is enough to give anyone the jitters.  Unwiring those beliefs has taken time, but fortunately I always had access to singing which gave me repeated experiences of indescribably beautiful connection which were far more real for me than prophecies of doom.  Today the power of song gives me the faith to walk into a roomful of strangers and know that within minutes of singing together, we will be connected.  Connecting with practices, relationships and vocations that anchor us into an experience of basic goodness within and without, empowers us to become actively empathic.  When we trust the inner callings of our hearts, we step up to living and loving joyfully.

Active Trust
Trust then is being willing to take a chance, knowing that what goes up must come down, as they say. When a warrior has that kind of trust in the reflections of the phenomenal world, then he or she can trust his or her individual discovery of goodness. - Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Conquering Fear
Trust is not formed of wishy-washy beliefs or pie-in-the-sky statements.  Trust is not desperately affirming that things are ok when they are very obviously not ok.  Trust is built by the willingness to face the not-ok stuff in life and the willingness to take risks and encounter challenges.  It’s knowing that whatever I do will have a result and that I can grow from encountering that result. Whenever I perform or lead a group, I am well aware that anything could happen, but my trust and confidence grows through every experience I have of showing up and learning from whatever does happen.  

Trust Enables Vulnerability
We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy - Walter Anderson
To sing together requires becoming open to sharing and expressing something essential of ourselves.  Our voices are our sonic fingerprints, unique and intimately intricate.  When we sing, we allow our deepest held feelings to become expressed.  We attune both to ourselves and empathically to others and the rewards are vast - we gain access to a vast ocean of creativity, love, joy and vitality.  Trust supports us to become open to the incredible vulnerability of being alive in this unique moment, one breath after another.

Trust is Good News
In short, Trust is Good News. It is the moment to moment life-affirming broadcast that pulses from the centre of our hearts that we are naturally inclined to love, creativity, kindness and compassion.  Imagine if that message rolled out from our media everyday - let’s mend and build our trust so that we can create a world where it does.
Wishing you a gloriously good March