The Importance of Trust

Inspired by the coverage I’d seen of the recent Artemis II lunar flyby mission, I decided to watch the astronaut crew make their first public appearance after returning home safely from their voyage. While I prepared for their statements of awe and wonder at having been giving the gift of a lifetime, I was not prepared for the immense love, care, integrity, and trust they had for each other. And it turns out I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

After travelling to the moon and back, the crew wanted the world to know that the bond people saw in them was not an isolated incident—it was an attribute deeply embedded in the human experience. As they lined up together in an extended hug, astronaut Jeremy Hansen said, “I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you’re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, than just look a little deeper. This IS you.”

Hansen and the other members of the Artemis II crew were hundreds of thousands of miles away from planet earth, and from their perspective, saw it as a small “lifeboat hanging in the universe” amidst the vast darkness of space. Its specialness was obvious and the message it had for them was clear—human life is a gift. And part of that gift is being able to work together with love and trust for our common benefit.

Some of the most critical issues that our world faces today can be traced back to the erosion of trust at the individual level. And the solution to this problem is best solved by reflecting on why we are here in the first place: to work together, contributing in our own unique way to the flourishing of humanity. If we don’t, we risk running around like mice in a cage, swept up in our own selfish desires and disconnected from the needs of others. But if we work to strengthen the bonds that keep us together, we are limitless.