Consilience

Trust is a very complicated human condition. We trust millions of people every day to a certain extent (other drivers on the road not to hit us, other cyclists the same, the people who designed the bicycle, the people who built it, the people who grew our food, etc etc) but at the same time we also vehemently distrust everyone. We feel it is OK to trust a corporation to build us a safe product to give to our 5 month old children, but at the same time don’t trust other people around us to take turns or not steal our money.

One great example of this condition can be found in Chicago at a great hot dog joint called Hot Doug’s. Hot Doug’s is a gourmet hot dog joint that sells your typical chicago hot dog for around $3. But next to that, and the hot dogs that most people get, are special. Like the one I got this past Friday; Smoked Yak Sausage with Roasted Garlic Dijonnaise and Horseradish Havarti Cheese (see the specials). I’m normally a vegetarian; but knowing that yaks aren’t terribly domesticable, and that I wouldn’t have this opportunity very often, I went for it.

But the point of this is not the yak sausage. The point is that this is an extremely popular place.

That’s the line. It stretched out the door and half way down the block.

Now, at most any restaurant like this seating would be a pain. You go order and try to scout out a place to seat, hovering over those people you think are closest to leave all the while making them feel uncomfortable. Or, you send a friend up ahead, remembering what they want so you can order it for them, so they can go do the same hoping they’ll find a table by the time you order.

But at Hot Doug’s they have a simple request:

Please do not sit at the table until you have placed your order.
This assures that everyone will have a place to sit when their food is ready.
Trust us, it works.

And guess what. It works. Flawlessly. When you’re done ordering your hot dog and duck fat fries there are at least 2 tables open for your and your 4 friends. You can calmly walk over to one and sit down and enjoy your yak or wild boar hot dog.

Why do we, as a culture, not remember that we are here together? And if we just took our turn it would all turn out alright? It seems to me that when we add in unneeded competition we all lose.

How about instead we decide to work together. Maybe then we’ll accomplish more and things wouldn’t be as crazy all the time. We see that from many examples of different cultures that are not as competitive as ours. They seem to be telling us that it is better when we’re not as cut-throat.

They seem to be telling us, “Trust us, it works.”