A few days ago I was driving smack dab in the middle of downtown Chicago (The Loop for those in the know). Over a 45 minute span (where my car only moved half a block), I felt like I was witnessing a controlled experiment in human psychology. And not that my experience will help answer any questions relating to Free Will, Law and Order, and Mob Mentality…but all of those topics and more raced through my head while “parked” on Washington Street.
The crux of the problem was an all too common phenomenon in bumper to bumper city traffic. Every car that had a chance to block the middle of the intersection took that opportunity with gusto. Knowing full well they were going nowhere once in the middle of the intersection, it was more important to not let anyone get in front of them than it was to keep the intersection clear for the crossing traffic. Over and over and over and over and over and over again. On average, one car going my same direction made it through the traffic light every 2-3 minutes.
After 40 minutes of this, salvation arrived in the form of 2 young kids in matching windbreakers with the word TRAFFIC written on the back. With no words, just arm movements, the clog was roto-rooted immediately. They asked drivers to stop short of the intersection when the light turned red and they asked drivers not to enter the intersection on a green light until it was clear. Simple, Common Sensical, and Completely Beyond The Capability Of Drivers To Do On Their Own.
Other than 2 teenage-looking civil servants showing up, what else changed to clear up the traffic? What REALLY changed to clear up the traffic?
Trust.
No one trusted the other driver to do the right thing. And rightfully so. It wasn’t going to happen. Everyone was out for themselves, even though everyone KNEW if they did the right thing it would be best for everyone. No way. If one car is going to benefit by not doing the right thing, screw it, we’re ALL going to suffer.
Once the traffic patrol arrived, trust was an option. A good option. The best option. Instinctively, each driver was able to trust that every other driver was going to abide by the traffic patrol’s directions. Thankfully, everyone waited their turn and I traversed the second half of that block and beyond in short order.
So what’s the takeaway here? It’s complicated. It’s multi-faceted. Two themes were obvious to me.
First: Don’t expect others to do something you’re not willing to do yourself. Equally but different, don’t do something and then be upset when someone else does it. Besides the obvious hypocrisy, those two scenarios break down trust quicker than snot.
Second: Society needs trustworthy leaders and trustworthy keepers of law and order. Obviously, the key word is “trustworthy” and everyone has a different definition and threshold for what that means. If those things are in place, a society has a good chance to thrive and be stable.
I’ve often wondered why a lot of people are comfortable with being told what to do and how to do it. While I don’t know the answer to that mystery, I’m convinced it’s the only way to explain the phenomenon of Line Dancing.
Happy Spring everybody!