“A Widespread Crisis of Confidence”

In West Africa, a 12-year-old boy lies in a hospital bed​—the victim of a fake antimalarial drug that his mother bought at a legitimate drugstore. “For 15 years we have been finding false medicines on the market,” says a hospital physician.a

In Asia, the parents of a newborn boy are shocked to learn that the so-called enriched milk they have been feeding him is contaminated with a hazardous ingredient. Sadly, the little boy dies.

A trusted American businessman has swindled his clients out of billions of dollars! Thousands discover that their pension funds have vanished in what has been termed “the fraud of the century.”

IN TODAY’S world, virtually everyone’s trust has been betrayed at one time or another. Even the global economic plight is largely the result of what the French newspaper Le Monde calls “a widespread crisis of confidence.”

What factors have contributed to the present-day “crisis of confidence”? Is there anyone you can trust?

[Footnote]

Is Trust Possible?

He was considered a pioneer in the treatment of pain. Yet, for more than ten years, beginning in 1996, this distinguished anesthetist had fabricated the results of studies published in prestigious medical reviews.

“I CANNOT begin to comprehend why a person would take this course,” says Dr. Steven L. Shafer, quoted in Anesthesiology News.

What would motivate a respected professional to deceive his fellow man? Consider four possible causes.

● Greed. In a New York Times report, Dr. Jerome Kassirer, a former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, explains: “When researchers are beholden to [pharmaceutical] companies for much of their income, there is an incredible tendency to get results that are favorable to the company.”

● Success at all costs. Science students in Germany are believed to have paid out thousands of euros in bribes to teachers to “earn” the title of Doktor, a symbol of success in that country. A study described in The New York Times found that many students who cut ethical corners said that they “intended to follow a strict code of values” after they attained success.

● The absence of role models. Regarding high school students, one professor is quoted in The New York Times as saying: “We might be tempted to say they’ve lost their moral compass . . . It’s probably better to say that their teachers and mentors and the rest of society never helped them construct and internalize a moral compass in the first place.”

● Practices that are inconsistent with values. In a study of nearly 30,000 students, 98 percent said they believed that honesty is essential in personal relationships. However, 8 of every 10 students admitted that they had lied to their parents, and 64 percent admitted to cheating on an exam during the previous year.

Superior Moral Principles

As noted in the box on this page, humans seem designed to trust. Nevertheless, the Bible realistically states that “the inclination of the heart of man is bad from his youth up.” (Genesis 8:21) How can you battle that inclination and resist the tide of dishonesty that is so prevalent today? The following Bible principles can help:

● “Do not fabricate against your fellowman anything bad, when he is dwelling in a sense of security with you.”​—Proverbs 3:29.

Love for our neighbor moves us to seek his welfare, not to abuse his trust. This principle could put an end to numerous forms of human exploitation motivated by greed, such as the trafficking of counterfeit medicine, discussed at the outset of this series.

● “Truth will last forever; lies are soon found out.”​—Proverbs 12:19, “Contemporary English Version.”

Many today believe that honest people are at a disadvantage. But ask yourself, ‘What is more valuable​—gaining immediate rewards or long-lasting benefits, including self-respect?’ A student may deceive others concerning his knowledge or skills by cheating on exams, but how will he fare in the workplace?

● “The righteous is walking in his integrity. Happy are his sons after him.”​—Proverbs 20:7.

If you are a parent, set a good example for your children by ‘walking in integrity.’ Explain to them how you have benefited by following an upright course. When children see a parent walking the path of integrity, they are more likely to adopt a trustworthy course themselves.​—Proverbs 22:6.

Do the above Bible principles really work? Can trustworthy people be found today?

[Blurb on page 4]

According to the newspaper Le Figaro, more and more French people “think that the leading figures in society​—in political, economic, social, and cultural circles—​are not virtuous, and they do not see why they should be so themselves.”

[Box on page 5]

DESIGNED TO TRUST?

Experiments conducted by Michael Kosfeld, a professor of business administration at Frankfurt University in Germany, led him to the conclusion that trust is “a biologically-based part of human nature.” Kosfeld discovered that when there is interaction between two people, the human brain releases oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates trust. “It is, in fact, one of the distinguishing features of the human species,” Kosfeld states. “When trust is absent, we are, in a sense, dehumanized.”

People You Can Trust

Santiago, a taxi driver in Argentina, did not have to debate what he would do. When a bag was left in his taxi, he simply returned it to its owner. Santiago’s gesture may seem ordinary, except for the fact that the bag contained more than $32,000!

CAN you imagine a world filled with trustworthy people? How different life would be! You could leave your child in the hands of a babysitter without fear. You would need neither keys to your home nor locks on your doors. Is that merely a dream?

The Effect of Moral Values

The Christian apostle Paul said of himself and his fellow Christians: “We wish to conduct ourselves honestly in all things.” (Hebrews 13:18) That is what Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to do. Their aim is to live up to the qualities described in the Bible at Isaiah 33:15: “There is one who is walking in continual righteousness and speaking what is upright, who is rejecting the unjust gain from frauds, who is shaking his hands clear from taking hold on a bribe.” How have some followed such a trustworthy course?

● ‘Speak what is upright.’ Domingo, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, works in the Philippines on a copra plantation. “Many people are not honest with their employers,” he says. “For example, if they have gathered copra, they do not tell the employer how many sacks they really have. By doing that, they can covertly sell some sacks on the side.”

Domingo and his family were nearly evicted from a plantation because they did not want to lie about production figures. Nevertheless, Domingo says: “We told our employer that even if it meant being evicted, we would not lie. Eventually, our employer said that Jehovah’s Witnesses are good people who can be trusted, and he gave us additional land to farm.”

● ‘Reject unjust gain.’ Pierre, the chief tax officer in a region of Cameroon, has had many opportunities to make easy money. When he was first assigned to pay the salaries of temporary workers, he noted an abnormality. “Salaries were being paid to personnel whose contracts had expired or who were deceased,” Pierre explains. “Instead of thinking that I could use this money, I kept a careful financial record and the corresponding funds in a safe.”

What was the result? “After two years,” Pierre says, “there was an audit to check on this situation. I was really very proud to be able to present an exact record and hand over the appropriate funds, which by then were substantial. The auditors warmly commended me for my honesty.”

● Avoid ‘taking a bribe.’ Throughout his career as a notary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ricardo has been offered many bribes. “On one occasion,” he recalls, “a lawyer tried to bribe me. Without my knowledge, he took the initiative to send a CD player to my house. In those days, a CD player was both a novelty and a luxury.”

What did Ricardo do? “My wife and I decided that we would not even unwrap the parcel,” he says. “I went to the lawyer’s office, taking him completely by surprise, and put the parcel on his desk. It was a good opportunity to explain why I was returning it. His secretary was especially impressed with my action.”

Although Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the only ones trying to be upright, as a people they have earned a reputation for being trustworthy. That is what recently led a Polish clothing chain to offer jobs only to Jehovah’s Witnesses. The sales manager stated: “There are honest people everywhere, but Jehovah’s Witnesses have principles, and they stick to them.”

Trustworthy Despite Poverty

In the minds of many people, poverty makes a person exempt from the need to be honest. For example, a CNN report tells of a 14-year-old Nigerian boy who spends his days swindling people over the Internet. “What do you want me to do?” he says to justify himself. “I feed my family​—my sister, my mother, my [father]. Man must survive.”

Of course, the Bible does not promise riches to those who remain upright, but it does give assurance that they will receive life’s necessities. Isaiah 33:16 states: “His own bread will certainly be given him; his water supply will be unfailing.”

However, some might ask: ‘How can being trustworthy help those in extreme situations? What of those who struggle each day just to feed themselves?’

Consider Berthe, a widow in Cameroon who sells manioc-based savory sticks in her little miando stall. “Traditionally, there are 20 miando sticks in each packet,” she says. “It is common for storekeepers to put just 17 or 18 in most packets, but I prefer not to make my earnings by deceiving others.”

Is Berthe’s business thriving? Not always. “I often spend the whole day without selling anything,” she says. “But when I ask the food vendors for a dish of food and tell them that I still have not sold anything, they serve me because they know that I will pay them as soon as I have the money. It is a question of trust, which is earned over time.”

A God Who Deserves Our Trust

Our trust grows as we observe that a person acts in harmony with his words. Joshua, a leader in ancient Israel, said of God: “Not a promise failed out of all the good promise that Jehovah had made . . . It all came true.” (Joshua 21:45) Do we too have good reasons to trust in God?

God’s promises are so trustworthy that he compares his word to the rain. (Isaiah 55:10, 11) Indeed, what could prevent rain from falling, soaking the soil, and causing vegetation to grow? Nothing! In the same way, nothing can prevent the fulfillment of God’s promises.

One of those promises is recorded at 2 Peter 3:13, which states: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” God purposes to rid the earth of all who would exploit their fellow man. Would you like to learn more about how God will accomplish his purpose? Contact Jehovah’s Witnesses locally, or write to the appropriate address on page 5 of this magazine.

[Box/​Picture on page 8]

HONESTY REWARDED

Lucio, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Philippines, could have become dishonest. He found $27,500 in an old filing cabinet in an office that he was asked to clean. The office​—and the money—​belonged to his boss, who was away on a business trip. “It was the first time I had ever seen a dollar!” Lucio says.

When his boss returned, Lucio handed him the money. What was the result? “I was given more responsibility,” Lucio says. “In fact, my boss gave me a room where my whole family could stay. Even though life throughout the Philippines is hard, I really feel that because we have adhered to his laws, Jehovah God has cared for us.”

[Box/​Picture on page 9]

HONEST SCALES

Moïse’s stall is well-known in a market in Douala, Cameroon, where he sells fish. “I called my little shop The Scales,” he says, “because my scales are among the few in the whole market that have not been tampered with. I know that people test me out regularly. If they ask me for a kilo of fish, I give it to them. They always find a way to have the bag weighed elsewhere. When they do, they find that they have what appears to be more than a kilo! Then they know that I have not tried to deceive them! Many people say to me, ‘We come to you because you are honest.’”

[Picture on page 7]

“We told our employer that even if it meant being evicted, we would not lie.”​—Domingo, Philippines.

[Picture on page 7]

“The auditors warmly commended me for my honesty.”​—Pierre, Cameroon.

[Picture on page 7]

“A lawyer tried to bribe me. . . .My wife and I decided that we would not even unwrap the parcel.”​—Ricardo, Brazil.

[Picture on page 7]

Berthe often spends the whole day without selling anything. But then the other food vendors will serve her because they know that she will pay them as soon as she has the money.