IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST, REST STRICLTY IN CASH

The recent serious developments on the national scene highlight a scary aspect of our composite culture –the trust deficit.

IN GOD WE TRUST, REST STRICLTY IN CASH

The Anna Hazare movement brought into sharp focus the middle class distrust of politicians. When sportsperson Arunima was told that the government would give her a job[this person lost a leg when she was attacked by goons when travelling in a train] she insisted that this offer be given in writing since she ‘ Does not trust politicians’.

Anna Hazare and his people insisted that the government issue a notification and not just a letter agreeing to the formation of a joint committee to formalize the Lok Pal Bill. Obviously they did not trust the government to stand by a ‘ mere letter’.

Many businessmen recruit employees from their own community for the reason that they trust members of their own community . The diamond businessmen of India usually recruit employees only from a specific town since their business requires them to trust people with very valuable cargo—diamonds.

The government of India has been trying to get successful private sector executives to head the ailing Air India but to no avail. It appears that private sector executives do not trust politicians and bureaucrats to let them function independently.

The government does not trust the private sector too. I once heard a former Union Civil Aviation Minister tell an audience that there was no way Air India/Indian Airlines could be privatized. His argument—in the event of an emergency when the government needed to commandeer aircraft he could not trust the private sector to stand by the nation.

Now I am not in the least suggesting any criticism of this phenomenon of lack of trust. I only seek to initiate a debate on what explains the lack trust.

This lack of trust leads to a sizeable increase in the cost of doing business apart from socio political implications. Many sociologists have offered a few theories

One theory is called the Germ Theory. This says that since time immemorial people in our large country were apprehensive about travelling to other parts of the country for fear of encountering unknown and unfamiliar germs and contracting ailments that my even be fatal. Thus a sense of isolation was created that has ultimately led to the kind of distrust that I am writing about-- Distrust born of low interaction between people in the past. No doubt this is slowly changing.

Also since our law and judicial machinery tends to be tardy an employer for example cannot expect the system to get him speedy justice in case an employee swindles the company .Hence the recourse to risk reduction strategies that include hiring people with similar backgrounds whom one understands and on whom social pressures may be brought when necessary.

Ignorance about other groups of people too adds to prejudice against and distrust of people .

Those in the profession of being change agents , particularly trainers conducting workshops where games involving building trust may please enlighten me on their experience.

As some businessmen clearly proclaim

IN GOD WE TRUST REST STRICTLY IN CASH

K.R.RAVI