Good faith no more?

We pipers and drummers work on good faith and trust most of the time. We trust judges to render decisions that are unbiased and ethical. In good faith we give our money to our association so that it will do the right things for us. We trust manufacturers and dealers to deliver the goods that we usually have to pay for up front.

Pipers and drummers don’t screw other pipers and drummers.

So when a large supplier of piping and drumming supplies goes under, taking with it lots of debts not just to major manufacturers but to ordinary pipers and drummers — 100 pounds here, 100 pounds there — it diminishes our faith and trust in our fellow pipers and drummers. Our small world starts to operate in big-world terms, where everything is a business, and everyone is suspicious of everything.

Reputable organizations get dragged down by it. We become even more skeptical and suspicious of each other.

I’ve said for ages that piping and drumming is big business, with lots of money at stake. Previously, it’s been buyer beware when non-pipers and drummers are merchandising our music and culture. I still thought that pipers and drummers could still get through by using our trust and good faith in our fellow pipers and drummers.

We’re in this – whatever it is – together. It’s too bad that our trust in each other has been suddenly eroded.