Courage to Trust
In his 1947 Delhi Diary Gandhi advocates for a comprehensive rejection of distrust: “we should trust even those whom we suspect as our enemies. Brave people disdain distrust.” Gandhi’s position in this passage is extreme, and one may even detect a whiff of bravado. Where Gandhi sees “bravery” secular readers may find recklessness, in particular if trust puts at risk the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable parties. But I think that Gandhi’s view contains insight that deserves elaboration and refinement. Gandhi challenges us to think about the norms of trust as extending beyond the pursuit of self-interest or individual agency. Realizing the moral ends of trust (empowerment, solidarity, intimacy, respect) requires managing and overcoming the fear that trust naturally occasions. Such a task, I maintain, calls for courage. Conversely, given distrust’s tendency to demoralize, exclude, and insult, withdrawing trust out of fear can be symptomatic of morally criticizable cowardice.