You know, I've been thinking a lot about the "trust" issue. I know that many of my friends here have said that they have problems trusting, and I have a hard time relating to that statement. I was trying to figure out where I stand on "TRUST" in an online forum.

I figured out that I neither trust nor distrust people here. It's not that I don't trust... it's that trust doesn't really enter into the equation for me. I feel neutral. Nobody here (except one) knows me in person, so what's the worst that happens? A stranger on the internet decides they don't like me. Oh well. Ok, I feel a little more than that, but honestly? Not much. I mean, there is SO MUCH room for misinterpretation in typed communication that the times when I've PO'ed people, I have taken it with a grain of salt because I realize that the communication isn't going to be 100% clear.

Re-reading what I wrote above, it does sound kind of cold, and I don't mean it to be. It's just that I don't feel exposed when I write in online forums. I don't experience any sense of vulnerability. That's why it's hard for me to relate to this.

Ok, back to you, though, _Sky. I guess I don't have an answer for you. I'd say you can "trust" me, but it would sound very false in light of what I wrote above. What I *CAN* promise, though, is that I will always tell you the truth as I see it, that I will always respect anything that you say to me in confidence, and that I will take you seriously.

How's that?
Love,
LMo