Trust in Recession: Rediscovering Friendship in a Fractured World
A Growing Crisis of Trust
Last week, I used a phrase that seemed to strike a chord: "trust recession." It’s not a term I spent a lot of time unpacking then, but it clearly resonated. Because if we’re honest, it captures something many of us are feeling—that trust is in short supply these days.
We’re more distrustful of politicians and media than ever before, and frankly, not all of that is unwarranted. But what troubles me more is how this erosion of trust has crept into our personal lives. We're not just losing faith in institutions—we're struggling to trust each other.
From the Public to the Personal
I think that’s why the term "trust recession" hit home. It’s not just about the headlines or the news cycles—it’s about the subtle ways we find ourselves more cautious, more withdrawn, even with our neighbors. People we once might have waved to, now we barely notice. Friends we used to see regularly, now we scroll past online.
After the sermon, someone asked me: What’s the antidote to all of this? Do we stop watching the news? Ban social media? There's a cultural appetite for stepping back from these things, and honestly, I understand that. But I want to suggest something simpler, something more foundational: we start at home.
Rebuilding Trust Starts With Friendship
What if the first step to rebuilding trust isn’t systemic, but relational? What if it's as simple as believing there’s a friend on the other side of the person you just met? Choosing to believe the best about someone—before you know all the facts. That kind of posture opens doors.
And here’s where the research backs this up. Social science tells us that the number of close friends we report having is steadily dropping. That’s a problem on its own. But more than that, those with more close friendships are statistically more likely to:
Volunteer in their communities
Donate to causes they care about
Be politically and socially engaged
Know their neighbors
We can debate whether these friendships cause those behaviors or vice versa, but either way, the connection is strong. Friendship shapes the way we move in the world.
Practicing Presence and Pursuing People
So what does this mean for us? It means we do the work to cultivate friendships. Maybe it’s reaching out to someone you’ve lost touch with. Maybe it’s messaging a Facebook friend, or setting up a coffee date. Maybe it’s arranging a play date for your kids and spending a Saturday afternoon in someone’s backyard.
These aren’t grand gestures, but they’re the start of something real. They’re how we practice presence. And they’re how we become the kind of people who are capable of trust—who can push back against the tide of cynicism and fear.
You Might Be Surprised by Joy
I don’t have all the answers for fixing what’s broken in our society. But I do believe this: durable, lasting, committed relationships are central to what it means to be human. And when we have fewer of those, everything suffers—our energy, our motivation, even our sense of purpose.
So yes, volunteering matters. Donating matters. Being engaged matters. But maybe it starts even smaller than that. Maybe it starts with friendship.
And I’ll be honest—this hasn’t always come easy to me. I’m not someone with a huge social circle. But I have been blessed with a few extraordinary relationships. Some came from the most unexpected places. Some returned after long absences. But all of them began when I found the courage to crack open the door just a little.
Yes, sometimes you get burned. But sometimes? You find joy. Real, grace-filled, I-didn’t-see-that-coming joy. The kind of friendship that doesn’t need explaining, only time. The kind that helps us trust again.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s how the world changes.
