Munger, Kissinger and rat-miners pushed trust into conversations

Even sectoral regulators have recognized the importance of trust. Let's hope it's an enduring concern and not a passing fancy

- RAJRISHI SINGHAL

Tis the season for cheer and goodwill. And for some departures and rebirths. The demise of two elderly and renowned statesmen, and the re-entry of the term ‘rat-miners’ to our quotidian vocabulary has re-introduced the unquantifiable quality of trust into our daily conversations. Even regulators across different sectors seem to have woken up to the potential of this attribute. Over the past week, two stalwarts— Charlie Munger from the imperfect world of stock-picking and Henry Kissinger from the complex and amoral universe of international relations—passed away at ages 99 and 100, respectively. The highlight of the week, though, was a tribe of forgotten miners, adept at wriggling into holes and extracting resources from the earth’s belly, miraculously rescuing 41 workers from a tunnel. Munger, Kissinger and the rat-miners have all compelled a re-examination of the notion of trust.