Confidence is a pillar of a well-functioning society – a point powerfully underscored when it starts to crack.

Two stories today drive at the foundational importance of “full trust,” as confidence can be defined. One involves business: The Boeing Co. is scrambling to reassure the public after a series of safety violations that spoke to ethical shortcomings. Another gets at the social fiber that frays when people are forcibly denied a place in their society – and their sense of their value to it.

But both stories also point to the power of prioritizing efforts to regain trust. As one source told staff writer Laurent Belsie, it’s the “grease” that bolsters positive relationships across society.

You can check out more of our ongoing project about trust here: Rebuilding Trust.