Trust: Beyond Truth and Falsehood

When we talk about trust, we often think in simple terms: Can I rely on someone to tell the truth? Can I believe their promises? But trust is far more complex than this. It is a sophisticated matrix of relationships and capabilities that defines how we exist together.

We are surrounded by trust matrices at every moment, even if we're not conscious of them. When we turn on a tap and drink water, when we drive a car, when we train in martial arts - in each of these cases, we're relying on a complex network of trust relationships. This isn't just trust in the truth of statements, but trust in capabilities, intentions, and entire systems.

In the dojo, this matrix of trust becomes particularly tangible. As I teach, I see how trust operates simultaneously on multiple levels: physical, emotional, and mental. Students must trust not only in the integrity of their training partners but also in their ability to control their bodies, their intentions, and the framework that enables safe interaction.

Sometimes I hear people say "it's a jungle out there" to justify competitive, distrustful behavior. But the real jungle teaches us the opposite lesson - survival is based on cooperation and trust. Lions live in prides, wolves in packs, and even the solitary tiger maintains a complex trust relationship with its cubs.

At AKBAN, I've been witnessing for decades how this trust is built. It doesn't happen instantly, and it doesn't happen through words alone. It begins with actions, with the body - through shared training, learning how to control power, how to be responsible for another's safety. Actions, when done correctly, create a foundation of trust that words alone cannot build.

But there's a deeper challenge here. Historically, many groups have built trust through shared opposition to an enemy - what René Girard calls the "scapegoat mechanism." The question is: how do we build trust without resorting to this violence? How do we create a strong community without defining it by what it opposes?

The answer, I believe, lies in a deeper understanding of trust. When we understand that trust is a matrix of capabilities and relationships, we can build it in new ways. Instead of imposing a single narrative of trust, we can create a space where different forms of trust can develop in parallel. Instead of building trust through shared opposition, we can build it through shared challenges and mutual recognition of our vulnerabilities.

In a dojo where real trust prevails, every movement becomes something deeper than technique. Every punch, every throw, every embrace - they are expressions of a complex relationship where we trust not only in each other's intentions but also in each other's capabilities, control, and understanding.

It's not easy. Trust is fragile and requires constant maintenance. But when we succeed in creating this space of trust - in the dojo, in the community, in society - we create something far stronger than any fighting technique. We create a foundation that doesn't depend on violence.

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