我们处在一个信任缺失的时代吗？ 

Is this the era of distrust?

郭利莹 供稿

The coronavirus epidemic not only brings the world to a halt, but also leads to a rise in misinformation, lies and conspiracy theories on the internet. In an era of fake news, where even a president of the United States is accused of spreading misinformation, could it be that we are living through a crisis in trust?

冠状病毒的流行不仅让世界陷入停滞，还导致网络上不实信息、谎言和阴谋论增加。在这个虚假新闻盛行的时代，甚至连美国总统都被指责传播虚假信息，我们是否正在经历一场信任危机呢？

So what on earth is trust? And in whom should we place our trust? Actually, the problem is not about trust itself but about trustworthiness–the ability to be trusted as being honest and reliable. Of course, telling lies and lacking trustworthiness is nothing new. In old times, the ancient Greeks were tricked by the Trojan Horse. In modern times, the American financier Bernie Madoff, notoriously known as “the biggest swindler in history”, was sentenced to 150 years in prison for his part in the Ponzi scam which defrauded investors of 65 billion dollars.

那么，信任究竟是什么？我们又应该相信谁？事实上，问题不在于信任本身，而在于可信度，即被认为诚实可靠、值得信任的能力。当然，说谎和缺乏可信度并不是什么新鲜事。在古代，古希腊人就被特洛伊木马欺骗了。在现代，美国金融家伯尼·麦道夫——那个声名狼藉的“历史上最大的骗子”——因参与庞氏骗局，从投资者那里骗取了650亿美元而被判处150年监禁。

Generally speaking, trust can be described as a judgement that someone can be believed and relied on. When we trust each other, it makes life easier, quicker and friendlier. Society can’t function without trust, but that doesn’t mean the more trust the better.

一般来说，信任可以理解为判断某人值得信赖。当我们信任彼此时，生活会变得更轻松、快捷和友好。没有信任，社会就无法运转，但这并不意味着信任越多越好。

If you simply place trust indiscriminately without making a judgement about whether the other person is trustworthy, then you are just trusting to luck, which is probably not a virtue. There’s a difference between trusting someone because you have good reason to believe them and being gullible, meaning you are easily deceived because you trust and believe people too quickly. If you don’t judge who is trustworthy and who is not, you are trusting to luck—simply believing or hoping that things will happen for the best. Being gullible and trusting to luck is exactly how Bernie Madoff was able to trick so many people into giving him their money.

如果你只是不加选择地信任他人，而不去判断对方是否值得信赖，那么你仅仅是相信运气而已，这可算不上什么美德。有充分理由信任他人与太快轻信他人，两者之间是有区别的，后者只是好骗而已。谁值得信赖，谁不值得信赖，如果你不加以判断，那么你只是在撞运气——单纯以为或希望事情会朝好的方向发展。伯尼·麦道夫之所以能欺骗那么多人把钱给他，正是因为那些人轻信他人、心存侥幸。

If indiscriminately trusting people is such a bad idea, how do we avoid it? How can we tell who is trustworthy and who is not? Here are some tips. To be trustworthy, an individual needs four ingredients.

如果不加选择地信任他人是这么糟糕的主意，那么我们应该如果避免呢？如何甄别一个人是否值得信赖呢？这里有一点小窍门。值得信赖的人一般具备四种品质。

Competence: They have the skills, knowledge, experiences and resources to do a particular task. They are honest about what they can and can’t do.

能力：他们拥有完成某个特定任务的技能、知识、经验和资源。对于自己能做什么不能做什么，总是实事求是。

Reliability: People can depend on them to keep the promises and commitments they make. They are consistent in the way they behave from one day to the next.

可靠性：人们可以指望他们履行诺言和承诺。他们的行为一如既往，始终如一。

Empathy: They care about other people’s interests as well as their own. They will think about how their decisions and actions affect others.

同理心：他们关心自己利益的同时也关心他人的利益。他们会思考自己的决定和行为会给别人造成什么影响。

Integrity: They say what they mean and mean what they say. Their words are in line with their actions, and they are honest about their intentions and motives toward others.

正直：他们言为心声，心口合一。他们总是言行一致，诚实地向别人表达自己的意图和动机。

【Vocabulary】

1. coronavirus epidemic 冠状病毒流行

2. conspiracy n. 阴谋；密谋

3. trustworthiness n. 可信度

4. Trojan Horse 特洛伊木马。古希腊传说中，希腊联军围困特洛伊久攻不下，于是假装撤退，留下一具巨大的中空木马，特洛伊守军不知是计，把木马运进城中作为战利品。夜深人静之际，木马腹中躲藏的希腊士兵打开城门，特洛伊沦陷。

5. swindler n. 骗子

6. Ponzi scam 庞氏骗局。金融领域投资诈骗的一种称呼，即利用新投资人的钱向老投资者支付利息和短期回报，以制造钱的假象进而骗取更多投资的行为。

7. defraud v. 诈取；骗取

8. indiscriminately adv. 不加选择地；不加区分地

9. gullible adj. 易受骗的；轻信的