Virtue – a particular moral excellence

I believe that Trustworthiness is a moral excellence.

A Trustworthy person is dependable. Others know what to expect from her. She has integrity. She is steady, consistent; she lives what she believes and doesn’t change because it is convenient.

A Trustworthy person keeps other people’s secrets. People know their reputation is safe with him. They know he will not betray them or allow others to use their faults against them.

Trustworthy people know that a person’s reputation is a valuable, precious and fragile possession; that a reputation can be damaged in an instant and take a lifetime to restore. A Trustworthy person is careful with words and knows that a word spoken carelessly can hurt or maim.

When we talk about a Trustworthy person we are always tempted to say that she is consistent in her decisions. She does what she knows to be right. She doesn’t change her mind just because a decision becomes inconvenient or uncomfortable. On the other hand, a Trustworthy person can always be depended upon to do what is right, even if it means having to admit that she was wrong in the past. The key is that she does not keep changing her mind.

TRUSTWORTHINESS IN COMMUNITY

Trustworthiness, especially among leaders (or influencers), is important to true community. A community cannot survive long, or prosper, or be effective in its purpose if its members are suspicious of those with influence. A community with suspicious questioning at its heart will suffer “the death of a thousand cuts.”

It is good to know that those who guide a community through life can be depended upon to have a good understanding of, and to display Virtue in their own lives. It is also good to know that they have the best interests of individuals, and the community as a whole, at heart.

Equally as important to a community is Trustworthiness in those who are not leaders. If a community is to flourish, its members must be able to depend on one another to do what is right and fulfill their purpose and function within the community. All must be Virtuous.

Imagine a world made up of communities made up of Trustworthy people who trust one another.

What would that be like?