�鶹��

Available for over a year

The American elections can be gripping at the best of times. But today we’re witnessing the final chapter of a presidential campaign which became particularly fractious. Fought against the devastation of a global pandemic which has already killed thousands, and decimated jobs and industries, this election has been described as the struggle for the soul of America. As in every democracy voters will have made their choice based on a number of factors but one of the most important is who do people trust? This can often be reduced to who will do right by me rather than who will do right by the nation as a whole. Trust is one of the most complicated virtues we wrestle with but I think human beings are born hard wired to trust, we are socially engaged beings and all engagement relies on trust. This doesn’t mean we don’t doubt, that we aren’t sceptical, that we don’t fear but generally trust seems to be a default position. It relies on courage and making ourselves vulnerable, putting our faith in a partner, a friend, an institution, a leader in the hope that we will not be lied to or betrayed. This isn’t easy and for me as a Muslim even though I read ` God loves those who put their trust in him,’ I’m often left thinking `what is the nature of this trust and what does it mean in my life.’ But it seems to me that constant mistrust is corrosive for society as well as our own mental and emotional wellbeing. Even when we witness the appalling indiscriminate loss of life as with the Islamist inspired terror attacks in France, Kabul and this week in Vienna, we need to hold onto something bigger than rage or revenge. We can lose all trust in the communities around us, be ever more suspicious of our Muslim neighbour but in the end suspicion and division only serve to blight our everyday existence. Because for me a truly flourishing society requires that all of us work to build faithfulness and good will as a daily commitment in our lives, even when promises are broken and things seem bleak. The writer Paulo Coelho wrote that `None of us knows what might happen even the next minute, yet still we go forward. Because we trust. Because we have Faith.” Against the uncertainties of Covid-19, the next few months will demand much from us all. It’s easy to forget that divisions can very quickly lead to resentment and fear but a society which lives on the right side of hope creates possibilities for new beginnings, new relationships and the glimmer of restoring trust.