To me, there are levels to trust. The first level is *casual* trust which is basically when the person seems trustful or a seemingly trustful person introduces you to him or her. Then there's formal trust in which the person has proven themselves on numerous occasions. 

Finally, there's deep trust, this takes half a decade or more, this person has walked the talk for a long time, in the deep valleys and the mountain tops. 

It's still a mystery to me on how something that can take years to develop and solidify to crumble in an instant. I'm I missing something or is it just human nature that these things are never set on stone? 

The origin of the saying 'trust but verify' is a bit vague, it is said to have originated from Russia as a proverb and was popularised by Ronald Reagan. The former US president used it numerous times in the context of the nuclear discussions with the Soviet Union back then. 

In this post, I use it in the context of personal and professional interactions. 

![photo-of-people-reaching-each-other-s-hands-4672717](https://images.ecency.com/DQmXzNYpCWW7Q5Z6FyNvh9s959UGSeQViEcMKDFSZ3tHGpr/pexels_anna_shvets_4672717.jpg)
[Image Source](https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-reaching-each-other-s-hands-4672717/) 

## Trust But Verify In Personal And Professional Interactions
I need not say that trust issues have become more frequent in this day and age because it is already self evident, it's in almost everywhere we look. Perhaps, even experienced some ourselves. 

People will be out there on social media sending subtle (and sometimes cryptic) messages about their trust problems. I get it, people are so insubstantial these days and we have to let it out instead of coping with it on the inside. But I can't help but think that many of it could have been avoided if we didn't just trust but also verified. 

You see, in this age of easy deception, this age of social media, this age of *wagmi*. It is easy to blindly trust people and get carried away with the belief that everyone has your best interest at heart or wants the best for you. Especially if one is uninitiated and just beginning their journey. 

However, this doesn't mean that nobody wants the best for you. There are a few people who genuinely do. But it's hard to recognise them amongst the crowd. And most of them don't know how to stand out. 

## Ways on how to trust but verify
### Study and test them
Studying people might seem a bit of a task and testing people might feel a bit uneasy emotionally but isn't really. People leave clues all the time and that's just what we analyse and create tests out of them. 

For example, if the person is the boastful type touting about the achievements they've made. Indirectly tell the person to replicate a few of them or connect you to some of the ones they've already made. Voila, their reaction/response will tell you a lot even before they deliver the task(s). 

### Give them the benefit of the doubt and ask to prove themselves 
Sometimes, it's good to be direct in a world of indirectness. You cut through everything and go straight to the point. This is similar to the one above. The differences is that it is direct and everything rests on their shoulders. They have to come up with the task and deliver it. 

If one is the easily pleasable type, then it is better not to show it because if the other party sense it. It could be a walk in the park for them. 

## In Conclusion
In an age of easy deception, only trusting isn't enough anymore. We also have to verify. And gauge them on the trust level.

However, it is also important to note that verifying isn't foolproof especially in human interactions. This is because human interactions are unstable and there isn't any standard mode of operation. It's multidimensional and things are always changing.

Nevertheless, verifying is a good way to create more certainty in this game of trust.
<br>*Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.*