TRUST

TRUST - you remember that word - used to be part of all those inscriptions carved over institutional doorways now falling into economoral decline everywhere-- archaeologists dig one up every now and then from another older and forgotten society that made earlier versions of the same mistakes.

One of the first places they used the word TRUST was on the money, especially when it was no longer gold and became the matter of faith it's now lapsing from.

TRUST was also commonly used in the names of the biggest banks and most reputable finance companies, First Trust this and National Trust that, the word had that much heft; politicians even used it now and then in high-sounding speeches of once upon a time, before microphones and tape recording exposed the de facto conversations. The word was embroidered on old flags as well, then later printed on t-shirts manufactured abroad. Ironically, in the present day it's still stamped on the US dollar! The lost cachet is needed now more than ever.

TRUST was the word, back in the day. You could find it in all the holy books-- and look what they've done with it. Things have changed so much since the word itself could be "trusted" - in the original, uncorrupted sense - to mean what it originally conveyed. We should maybe find a new word for what TRUST used to be, when it didn't cause a chuckle - you'd see it in those big bronze angular Roman letters engraved for the ages and gilded, when it still had dignity and semantic power, when it was a word you could... whatever that new word will be.

As for ourselves, there is still Truth in us-- Here's hoping that when next we put the new TRUST over doorways, we've reclaimed the old meaning and lived up to it for at least 1000 years...