Question of the Week: Value

What do you value most in a relationship?

Trust. As far as I'm concerned, trust is the cornerstone of any relationship. Without trust there can't be love. There can't be loyalty. If you don't trust the other person in the relationship, whether that's a friend or significant other, then you can't be open and honest with that person. Being in a relationship requires a certain amount of vulnerability. Without trust, you can't allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Things don't always work out for the best. We hurt someone who trusted us or someone we trusted has done the hurting. Whatever the case, it wouldn't hurt so much if trust hadn't been broken or violated. And if it doesn't hurt, it wasn't real. And then you have to ask, was there any trust there to begin with?

*Question of the Week comes from The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.