Matthew, I adored this! It was smart, witty, thoughtful and layered. I appreciate any work that uses everyday situations and interactions to explore the humanity and deeper meanings behind them. This was a wonderful piece, start to finish!
I really enjoy this type of synthesis and connections with seemingly unrelated concepts. The whole concept of taking a step back, observing, and the power of awareness reminds me of David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" (only loosely related, but a must-read if you're not familiar). This style of thinking (which DFW advocates, and you demonstrate) would be incredibly effective at solving global issues, if we could only encourage more people to open their eyes. Keep spreading the great insight. I'm looking forward to following along.
Funny you say this as I am literally about to start a series where the entire point is I want to focus deeply in on everyday normal stuff-extracting something from it that we might not excpect! Would love to hear your thoughts so stay tuned! It will be called ‘the unexamined life’
I appreciate the reminder that trust is at the heart of cooperation. It’s easy to get cynical about whether true collective action is possible, but perhaps small shifts like building trust within our immediate circles or communities can ripple outward.
Fascinating how something as ordinary as a boarding queue reveals the power of small cash incentives to shape human behavior. Loved reading this, Matthew!
This was such a satisfying read. Smart, funny, and sneakily profound. I loved how you unraveled such a seemingly mundane moment and used it to explore human behavior on a larger scale. The parallels to climate change and public health were especially sharp. Game theory has never felt so personal! Thanks for sharing this, it really made me think.
While I am truly believe in common good and changes driven by the people, I think there is another aspect that you over looked maybe. Take my father for example, he takes around 40 flights a year from Israel to USA and different places in the world. If he will have to stand in the line with all the people the does not flight so frequently it will be impossible for him probably.
Now I fully agree that many companies try to make money in such way on their customers, in the long run.. they will loose, because someone like you will show them that it can be done differently
What a beautiful and reflective piece. I love how seamlessly you wove together game theory, real life observation, and quiet emotional resonance. The Nash Equilibrium as metaphor for social stasis in a boarding line is such a clever pivot, it’s both intellectually rich and deeply human. Great work 👍
Matthew, I adored this! It was smart, witty, thoughtful and layered. I appreciate any work that uses everyday situations and interactions to explore the humanity and deeper meanings behind them. This was a wonderful piece, start to finish!
I really enjoy this type of synthesis and connections with seemingly unrelated concepts. The whole concept of taking a step back, observing, and the power of awareness reminds me of David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" (only loosely related, but a must-read if you're not familiar). This style of thinking (which DFW advocates, and you demonstrate) would be incredibly effective at solving global issues, if we could only encourage more people to open their eyes. Keep spreading the great insight. I'm looking forward to following along.
Funny you say this as I am literally about to start a series where the entire point is I want to focus deeply in on everyday normal stuff-extracting something from it that we might not excpect! Would love to hear your thoughts so stay tuned! It will be called ‘the unexamined life’
Will do! I'm looking forward to it.
I appreciate the reminder that trust is at the heart of cooperation. It’s easy to get cynical about whether true collective action is possible, but perhaps small shifts like building trust within our immediate circles or communities can ripple outward.
This is so well thought out, and also so cool.
Fascinating how something as ordinary as a boarding queue reveals the power of small cash incentives to shape human behavior. Loved reading this, Matthew!
Isn’t it super cool?! Love keeping an eye out for stuff like this!
This was such a satisfying read. Smart, funny, and sneakily profound. I loved how you unraveled such a seemingly mundane moment and used it to explore human behavior on a larger scale. The parallels to climate change and public health were especially sharp. Game theory has never felt so personal! Thanks for sharing this, it really made me think.
Matthew, this is very well written reflection.
While I am truly believe in common good and changes driven by the people, I think there is another aspect that you over looked maybe. Take my father for example, he takes around 40 flights a year from Israel to USA and different places in the world. If he will have to stand in the line with all the people the does not flight so frequently it will be impossible for him probably.
Now I fully agree that many companies try to make money in such way on their customers, in the long run.. they will loose, because someone like you will show them that it can be done differently
What a beautiful and reflective piece. I love how seamlessly you wove together game theory, real life observation, and quiet emotional resonance. The Nash Equilibrium as metaphor for social stasis in a boarding line is such a clever pivot, it’s both intellectually rich and deeply human. Great work 👍