Living in a High Trust Society
I saw a Tweet that made me think:
“I was in Tokyo recently on a business trip.
I accidentally left my brand new MacBook on a park bench in Tokyo. I realized it 3 hours later. I sprinted back, panic mode fully engaged, assuming it was gone forever. It wasn't there.
I asked a nearby shopkeeper. He pointed to the bench. Someone had placed my laptop inside a plastic grocery bag and taped it to the bench so it wouldn't get wet in the drizzle. They didn't take it. They protected it. Culture is what you do when no one is watching.
What do you think would happen in your country if the same thing happened?”
Source: https://x.com/MrPitbull07/status/2018064416668029082
Well I can tell with certainty if this laptop would be gone if it was in America. The phenomenon described above could only happen in high trust societies. I would argue America and most of Western societies like Canada, UK and Western European countries are not high trust societies. Maybe they used to be but not anymore.
All you have to do is visit a place like Japan, Taiwan or South Korea and you will realize this truth very quickly. Perhaps it’s due to the homogeneity of the place, the “we are all in it together” feeling. Of a great community. Or maybe these countries just actually enforce laws and punish criminals like they do in Singapore or UAE. Or are basically a police surveillance state like in China.
You can walk around without worrying about the watch you are wearing or being open with your mobile phone. Leaving your computer on the table when you go to the bathroom. Or leaving your stuff in your car without it getting broken into. Things you can’t ever do in any major city in America, UK or Canada. I’m naturally paranoid and untrusting so maybe I thrive in these low trust societies. But you would think with all the wealth and opportunities we could do better. Or hope we can do better for the sake of our kids.
This is why it seems clear the West is going down. It’s because people have stopped caring. Or they have just gone all out for themselves now, acting in survival mode. Decline is a choice. I, for one, choose to fight the decline all around us. It’s almost always just a matter of will.