From our perch on the 32nd floor of Hue’s tallest building, we witness a daily performance of trust unfold below. A massive roundabout, where six roads converge, serves as nature’s laboratory for human cooperation. Here, an endless stream of mopeds, cars, and trucks and even dogs come together in what appears to be chaos, yet reveals itself as an intricate harmony of mutual understanding.  

The Vietnamese seem to have long dismissed the need for traffic rules. There are no traffic lights, and no written rules appear to govern this intersection. Instead, what guides these users is something far more fundamental: our innate human capacity for trust. (This may sound naive in today’s crazy world of dictators, wars, power struggles and martial law but I invite you to consider our entire human evolution.  Simply put, if cooperation took a backseat to greed and selfishness, human kind would not have survived.  We survive because each of us understand instinctively, that ultimately we need each other).  And so each driver enters this circular space with an unspoken agreement – I will protect your life as I trust you to protect mine. 

This Vietnamese roundabout offers a profound metaphor for how we navigate our wider world. Most of us move through life extending trust as our default position. We believe in the basic goodness of others, not because we’re naive, but because experience has shown us this approach works. It’s the invisible thread that weaves our social fabric together. 

Yes, occasionally our trust is broken. These moments shake us, make us question our assumptions about humanity. Yet what’s truly remarkable is our resilience – our ability to heal and return to trust as our natural state. Like water finding its level, we seem to instinctively understand that trust is not just the most peaceful way to live, but also the most efficient path forward. 

Here in Hue, I’m reminded that trust isn’t just a choice – it’s the very foundation of human civilization. In this ceaseless flow of traffic, we see reflected the miracle of human cooperation, a testament to our shared desire to move through life not in conflict, but in harmony. 

We trust you have a very happy harmonious holiday season!