DOES THE PROCESS KNOW WE’RE TRUSTING IT?

BY: PRATHAM GOLCHA

We often come across the term called ‘”process” in life. For almost everything in life, there is a process, a certain way or method of going about things. Our navigation of existence takes place through various realms and dimensions, whether they are social, psychological, and biological in nature. These same processes guide us through our life, at every turn and step, and become a consolidated part of our life experiences, whether good or bad notwithstanding. The concept of trust is one that a human possesses innately from childhood. It is something that is built from within and as humans, we are predisposed to believe and trust things, people and situations. It is only when we have unfortunate experiences, do we start mistrusting. In today’s times, people have become so habitual of mistrust that “trust” as a virtue or moral is seen in a very different lens (read suspicion). A virtue, which is pure, natural and intrinsically built, has now taken a different form altogether, in rather unfortunate ways. Cheating, betraying and being deceitful have had deep, profound impacts on society, indeed.

The processes of our lives include a broad spectrum of biological and social functions that shape our very existence. From the cellular mechanisms that maintain our physical health to the emotional connections we make, these processes operate continuously, almost always beyond our awareness on a conscious plane. Let us take the example of certain physiological processes such as respiration, digestion, and cellular repair, which take place automatically, allowing us to function without actively thinking about them. Similarly, social processes, such as culture, traditions, norms and interpersonal relationships, influence our ways of responding and behaviors. Natural laws and established patterns govern according to the mechanistic stimuli over them.

Trust forms the very foundation and basis of human relationships and interactions in life. There are countless systems and processes in life that we trust- our bodily functions to maintain optimum health, societal institutions to provide safety, and technologies to function as asked. Various underlying factors, in different permutations and combinations, such as past experiences, societal influences, and inherent beliefs help build unbreakable trusts. Very simply, imagine an innocent four year-old child and a thirty-odd year-old person. Both are humans, both know what trust is, but both have a different perception of trust. Perhaps, the older person in this case, has gone through situations and circumstances in life which have hardened him, probably, and led to a drop in trust levels, as compared to an infant, who trusts his mother for his favorite food or a father to buy him his favorite toffees. It’s not about the age here, it’s about the experiences and perception.

Trust can take up different forms too. For example, we trust our bodies to heal when we fall ill, our friends and family to support us in our testing times, and nature to provide the resources we require. This is pure implicit trust. Anthropomorphism, the attribution of human traits to non-human entities, arises out of our trust on our life processes, whether implicit or explicit. Trust is an underlying element that heavily influences an individual’s engagements and responses across varying systems and processes. Let’s say, for instance, an individual trusting their healthcare provider would have a great probability to follow a certain medical advice, leading to better health eventually. On the contrary, a mistrust in the healthcare provider would signify skepticism and suspicion, thereby jeopardizing one’s health. Similar would be our choices with simpler things in life, such as which shampoo brand to use, which company’s ketchup to eat from, so on and so forth.

The trust-process inter-relationship might seem complex, but is really consequential. Taking risks, recovering from setbacks, divulging into unchartered territories, navigating challenges, etc. all come as a result of trusting our capacities. Possessing proper awareness, as well as consciousness comes as a by-product of these processes. This goes on to show a larger picture- how trust can certainly affect our shaping of behaviors, attitudes, decision-making processes, etc. Feeling secure, whether in relationships or in their own environment can be a vital factor here, and it doubles up as a guard against vulnerabilities, anxiety, stress, etc. Even when one goes to a doctor, one trusts him/ her to understand, empathize and treat in the way required. Similarly, when one sits in a flight, there is this unsaid trust on the pilot that he/ she would fly us safely to the destination. Again, trust and its processes can be subtle as well as crude, inflexible. A more mindful and intentional approach to trust can only come with “trust” itself. When we positively engage with our life processes, whether our interpersonal relationships, health, self-growth, we foster a sense of being empowered. What then happens is that, instead of blind faith, we work on informed choices. Our sixth sense, gut feelings, all align together. Self-reflection is never an end in itself- it is a never-ending bandwagon in life, a potential waiting to be harnessed by humans, but unfortunately, turns out, it seldom is. On the other hand, the other party has to shoulder complete responsibility to be transparent, accountable and repay that trust back, since, there is nothing really that works one way in life. When systems and processes get opaque, fizzy and untrustworthy, the foundation itself is displaced, and what follows is the usual mistrust. Particularly, in times like these, as of now, where consumerism, technology, urbanization, etc. are at their peak, these make an increased sense.

Coming up to the question itself- whether processes know if we are aware of them or not- the simple answer is yes, and no, simultaneously. The influence of trust can be immense, as discussed above. Complexities are bound to exist in life at all phases, how we harness trust, as a moral and respond to these, keeping all our conscience in check, is where the key lies. Humans are complex organisms, after all, and we can only wish answers came this easy. The spectrum is large, and so are the possibilities.