I sit here pondering the things important to me, as I often find myself doing when I can't sleep, and one thing stands out in my mind right now... Trust, and how it fits into the BDSM lifestyle.

For my part, I just cannot see any way around the personal fact that it is at the heart of everything that BDSM represents. How else could our charges find the will to allow us at the top of our hierarchy practice the things we do upon their often helpless bodies and minds, without having complete trust that we will not take things one single step farther than they are physically or psychologically capable of handling.

It has been presented to me that Consent rules our lifestyle. While I cannot argue that it plays a huge part in it, I cannot fathom how even Consent can exist in a relationship of any nature, without Trust.

Love, Consent, Lasting Relationships, Friendships... they all blossom from a foundation of Trust.

Betray a friend's trust and you'll soon find yourself lacking the companionship of that friend, unless you're lucky to have one who's forgiving. Break it enough times, however, and they'll move on to greener pastures.

Betray the love of one you hold dear and you'll find yourself in a similar, if not identical situation.

Lasting relationships are yet another example of how a lack of trust can break even the strongest bonds.

Consent... now that is something that I cannot begin to imagine existing without the presence of trust. Doctors receive consent from patients on a daily basis to perform seemingly outlandish procedures that are based on cutting-edge medicine and technology, based upon the trust of that patient that the doctor will not bring an untimely end to their life, and that the procedure will do them good and bring them back into a healthy state. I could continue to state examples here, all regarding consent, and all possessing at least a tiny seed of trust somewhere within the heart of the person giving said consent, but it would only be redundant.

My question is this... how have each of you come to realize your trust, and how dear to your heart is that trust, how strong is it that you would put your safety in the hands of another?

More importantly, how necessary is it to the lifestyle that you lead, in your own eyes? Could you put your safety in the hands of your Dom/me, Master, or Mistress without it? Is your need to serve so great that you would abandon all notions of trust to have that need met, regardless of the consequences?

For those of you who would hold the collar and command the one who wears it... what does trust mean to you? Could you give your time to one not worthy of your trust? Or is it something so dear to you as well, that you would cast the one aside who wears your collar were they to betray that precious trust?