Knowing and Trusting - Part 1 - Breathing

Stop.... and take a deep breath. Think about your breathing.

Breathing is crucial to the ongoing functioning of our physical bodies (the average human takes somewhere around 25,000 breaths a day!), yet it happens without us having to actively think about it. One time in which we may be more aware of our breathing is when we run or exercise intensely.

Similarly, two actions that seem crucial to our everyday functioning are knowing and trusting.

Let's stop, and think about that.

If you really think about, we exercise our knowledge and trust all the time without actively thinking about it. I trust that my alarm clock will wake me up at the right time each morning. I trust that the toothpaste I use is what its label says it is. I drink water from the water fountain trusting that it is safe to drink and that the food at the grocery store has not been poisoned. I trust my chair will support my weight, that the floor I am on won't collapse, or the ceiling fall in on me. When I get on an airplane, I trust it will take me from point A to point B safely and (roughly) on time. Driving involves a ton of trust! I have to trust all the other drivers, that they know and will obey the rules. And that the traffic signals won't get messed up (and show two 2 green lights when one should be red,) that my steering wheel and brakes will work fine, and simply that my car won't explode. I trust what I have read in the history books and what I have seen on the news is accurate. Based upon the laws of this country, I trust the bank won't and can't run off with my money. Based upon experience and the laws of physics, I trust Earth will continue exerting its gravitational pull.

We make our decisions based upon what we know, either from what others have told us (which requires us to trust others), or what we have discovered or experienced on our own (which requires us to trust that our own interpretation of our experiences is accurate.) Consequently, what we know and trust will largely determine what we decide, how we will act, and how we will respond to our environment. (I had thought about naming this blog "Truth and Faith" but decided on "Knowing and Trusting" because our lives requires us to continually know and trust.)

Just as we are more aware of our breathing when running, we are more aware of what we know and can trust in more intense/critical situations. Sometimes we're not sure if we should trust, and will have to review what we know or gather more information before allowing ourselves to trust.

Almost comparable to the frequency and nonstop nature of our breathing, we make decisions involving trust all the time. Although it is crucial to our daily functioning, we oftentimes are not aware of it until we encounter a more critical/risky situation.