Reflections - Trust, Kindness, and the Human Connection

At my junior brother’s wedding in Warri, I faced a moment that made me pause and think deeply about people and trust. I wanted to buy cash worth 200,000 Naira from a vendor to spray at the event, but my GT Bank was having technical issues. The vendor, a stranger who didn’t know me or where I lived, handed me the 200,000 Naira cash and told me to pay her the next day.

Kindness and trustworthiness are not defined by religion, ethnicity, or social status, they are human traits.

Williams O. omodunefe

I was immediately uncomfortable, not because I doubted myself, but because I was concerned for her. Who knew what could happen? There are people out there who would take advantage of such trust. Yet, here was a human being, trusting me without hesitation, believing in my word as if it were a contract.

Throughout the wedding, I kept checking my phone for network so I could transfer her money. When the connection finally came, I sent her the full amount before she left. That moment left me with a strong sense of hope: there are still good people among us.

Kindness and trustworthiness are not defined by religion, ethnicity, or social status, they are human traits. When someone places trust in you, honor it. Betraying it doesn’t just hurt that person; it chips away at the very fabric of society, creating cynicism, fear, and even moral decay.

This experience reminded me that every act of honesty, every gesture of respect for someone else’s trust, matters. It may seem small in isolation, but collectively, these moments build the society we hope to live in.

Trust is fragile. When nurtured, it grows. When broken, it spreads fear and suspicion. Let us choose to be the people who keep it alive.