As contagion of sickness makes sickness, contagion of trust can

“As contagion of sickness makes sickness, contagion of trust can make trust.” Thus spoke Marianne Moore, weaving into her words a truth both simple and profound. For just as a disease may spread from one body to another, unseen yet powerful, so too does trust move from heart to heart, shaping the spirit of families, communities, and nations. What is fragile in one person may become strong in many, and what begins as a spark of confidence can kindle a flame that illuminates the lives of all.

The ancients, too, knew this secret law of life: that human beings are bound not only by flesh and blood but by the unseen bonds of spirit. The Greek philosophers taught that virtue is contagious, that the company of the just makes others just. In the same way, trust, once planted, grows not in isolation but in fellowship. One person’s faith in another creates a mirror, encouraging faith in return, until a chain of confidence is forged that no storm can easily break.

Consider the story of Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic expedition. When his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in ice and his crew faced certain death in a frozen wilderness, it was Shackleton’s trust in his men, and their trust in him, that sustained them. He believed in their strength, and they believed in his leadership. This trust became contagious—spreading from one man to the next—until despair was vanquished and unity prevailed. Against impossible odds, not a single life was lost. It was not merely skill or luck that saved them, but the shared trust that grew stronger each day.

But the power of this contagion may also work in reverse. Just as one person’s fear can infect a multitude, causing panic and collapse, so can betrayal of trust spread ruin through the fabric of a people. History remembers kingdoms and companies undone not by external enemies, but by suspicion, deceit, and the erosion of confidence. Thus Moore’s wisdom is not only a promise of hope, but a warning: what spreads can either build or destroy, depending on what we allow to pass from heart to heart.

The lesson is clear: if you would build a strong family, a strong company, a strong nation, then begin with trust. Offer it first, even before it is returned, for the act of trusting invites trust in others. Speak truth, keep promises, and honor your word, for these are the seeds from which trust blossoms. Do not withhold it out of fear, for in withholding you starve the soil where community might grow. Instead, be as the healer who spreads wellness, showing by example that trust is possible, and others will learn to do the same.

Practical wisdom flows: in your daily life, practice small acts of faith. Entrust a task to another, and praise their effort. Share your thoughts honestly, and listen without suspicion. In moments of conflict, choose transparency over secrecy, clarity over concealment. Little by little, these acts will spread, as surely as ripples spread across still waters, until trust becomes the climate in which you and those around you live.

So remember Moore’s timeless teaching: just as illness multiplies when fear reigns, so too does trust multiply when courage and sincerity take root. Be the one who begins the contagion of trust. Let it spread from you to your household, from your household to your community, from your community to your nation. And in this way, what begins with one faithful heart may heal the world.