Shaping Trust (essay)

Trust is an important word in love, in friendship and in professional relationships. In newspapers, news programs, interviews and also in daily conversations between friends or colleagues it is often about trust. Agreements are also based on trust in trade and business. Trust is a force against abuse of power, indifference, arbitrariness, alienation and unkindness. It is a prerequisite for physical and mental health. Safety is tested with trust and it is therefore the basis for living together.
It is about how we are present together, about how we witness each other and act together. Trust influences social interactions and determines the atmosphere between participants, it is the glue that holds things together.
The basic and most essential form of trust is being physically with others, sharing time and place, and being in relationship with each other. When the world becomes uncertain, when we become more vulnerable and the systems around us are complex and not necessarily reliable, then we lose confidence. By reflecting together on how trust is or is not created, we can make these uncertainties more manageable.

In this essay, Caroline Nevejan writes about the YUTPA framework she developed, the ideas and developments surrounding this 'talking tool'. In five chapters she takes a closer look at the major changes in our society, 'being present' and the action perspective of the person and the system, trade-offs of trust, the YUTPA framework and the dynamics between vulnerability and reliability.