Trust - The Cornerstone of Survivability

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Trust Defined: firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something; believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of; acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation; the state of being responsible for someone or something; a person or duty for which one has responsibility; a hope or expectation. 

We talk about many things that are about survival, self-defense in particular on this blog, but seldom do I hear about trust. It seems that the aspect of trust is just assumed but in truth survival is about the trust that is created, developed and assumed by members of a group, a tribe if you will, where the hierarchal status traits of the group or tribe are set in a culturally created belief system toward the very survival of that tribe and its members. 

If the tribal members cannot establish and hold a mutual trust between its members the tribe will not survive. Even our modern families must have trust long before love or even likability, two important aspects of our species that allow for trust to exist. 

Lets get to brass tacks here since this is about karate and martial disciplines in self-fense. In most dojo, a tribe if you will, there is Sensei the Senpai then Kohai and within each is a level or grade that establishes status and levels of authority in regard to study, training, practice, experience and understanding that relates all members to one another. 

In a discipline of this nature where grave harm or even death are on the table then those who are members must have a level of trust with one another even in exposing themselves to harm or death in training and practice. If mistakes happen that is one thing but if an injury is incurred by one member due to the nature of the other then trust is lost or misplaced resulting in the two resisting exposure through future additional sessions of training and practice.

Look at the military and civil police, etc., disciplines where its members depend entirely on one another for individual and group survival where grave bodily harm and death are very real and possible in their daily work. You have to create that brotherhood between members where trust is the primary trait that binds. If not, then the tribe or group cohesive connectedness breaks down and survival is lost. 

As a side bit of information, humans only survive in small controlled groups like family and groups of families in tribes. There are limitations in the number where passing them results in a breakdown of the tribe or group in regard to its survivability. When social connections such as groups of tribes begin to gather and connect then something greater must exist, a trust is dominate but a belief system must exist that will bind all the different culturally driven tribal belief systems so they all can trust one another for the social survivability. 

Yet, we modern human animals seem to have lost that understanding and it may be due to quick instantly gratifying and satisfying social conditions and conditionings based on inaccurate and inappropriate understanding of our very species and survival. What a conundrum don’t you think?

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)



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