It has been a long time since I have written a post here. I have been lately busy working on my book Zero Cost MBA which is almost reaching the finishing stage. So, what should I write today? I am thinking about it for a long time. Today, with the advent of technology, it is possible to inquire and get information anytime, anywhere. We can check the other persons progress and even cross verify(in some cases), if he is lying.

But what about ancient time, or lets say ancient China? Imagine the time of Zhu-ge Liang, when these type of cross verification were never possible. Lets go to the time, just before the battle of red cliff, when master of Zhu-ge Liang was very weak and could not resist the marching army of Cao Cao. It was Zhu-ge Liang who came up with the idea of making alliance with Sun clan to stop the advance of Cao Cao. Whats the big deal, you will say? Kings/rulers as well as politicians made alliances all the time throughout the history.

But, what made such alliances succeed? Especially, when Liu-Bei asked Zhu-ge Liang to go on the horse trip to forge an alliance with Sun clan, did he have any second thoughts? Liu Bei could not forseen the response from the Sun clan for an immediate alliance. All he could do is to trust Zhu-ge Liang. He could also not check the progress of his adviser (Zhu-ge Liang) journey. And without the use of mobile phone, could he communicate to him during the journey? Well, I could hope is that Zhu-ge Liang woul deliver on his promise. It was the trust between the 2 people, who made such a blind faith possible.

It is the trust, due to which Zhu-ge Liang could take his own initiative with an overall objective in his mind. Should the situation go wrong, there was no way to confirm, get help or modify the things. Zhu-ge Liang was on his own in the quest and he was right in honoring the trust placed on him by his master. Had their been a mobile phone that time, I doubt if Zhu-ge Liang was able to do things that effectively, as he had to constantly his master about the progress. The as well not getting freedom to use his own skills could very well change the course of history(I am assuming).

So in a nutshell, I can say that people in ancient times trusted each other lot more than us. They traveled to long distances trusting all the information provided by previous is true. It was trust due to which, dynasties and empires could last for decade as well as centuries. The word of the people were the final statement and people died for keeping this honor. People considered dying more honorable than unable to keep up with their word. Trust placed on people also made such people more responsible cultivating in their leadership skills.

Anyway, lets get back to 21st century. I believe, trust between 2 human is declining. Technology has already started death of conversation(most important aspect to build trust) and what is left behind has been filled with fear, concerns and suspicion. Trust only establishes, when we communicate and understand each other. However, this is vanishing and we are getting more scared in opening up ourselves to others. This is reducing our ability to understand ourselves better and in turn also placing great strain on ourselves. May be we can learn something from ancient China?