How a Small Increase in Trust Could Unlock Extraordinary Human Potential

If someone asked where the world spends its money, most people would point to healthcare, energy, or technology.

Yet a closer look at the global economy reveals a striking reality. A remarkable share of the world’s resources is devoted not to creating value, but to protecting ourselves from one another.

These investments are necessary in the world as it exists today. They protect lives, property, and institutions. But they also reveal something deeper about the human condition: a meaningful portion of our collective effort is spent guarding against the possibility that others may harm us.

Which raises an intriguing question. What if we didn’t have to spend quite so much energy protecting ourselves from one another?

Since my work focuses on the power of peers, I invite to read my latest CEOWORLD magazine article on the hidden economic power of trust and imagine a world where we trusted each other just five percent more than we do today. https://ceoworld.biz/2026/03/13/how-a-small-increase-in-trust-could-unlock-extraordinary-human-potential/