Walking through large Train stations in Tokyo and watching people go about there business is like watching macroeconomics or pure competition in action.
It isn't a perfect model-it does help to demonstrate my point.
We all have needs and wants. In the case of commuting by train, taxi or whichever mode you prefer, it is natural for us to look for the most efficient way to get to where we want and need to go.
There is also an element of competition; fighting for taxi's or spots on the train, are examples of a few.
In Tokyo, most of the time there is enough room on the trains for everyone. However, from time to time, there are battles for space. Morning rush hour traffic is a good time for one to observe how groups of people think and react to the variables at hand-dodging this old lady, or avoiding that group of tourists and so on.
I'm sure we can all relate to the challenges of rush hour.
One day, while going through the regular motions that one does when transferring trains I made an interesting discovery.
While following a rush of people from one train to the next I noticed that there was only one way to get on the train I needed to ride. Looking ahead I saw two small single-file escalators; one going up leading off the platform, the other going down toward the platform.
The platform is that mystical place where trains can be boarded.
At the same time that the line was forming, I could hear the roar of the train pulling into the station. I didn’t have much time, and I couldn't afford to wait for the next train.
The group that I was following had started to form a line behind the down escalator leading to the platform where the train had just pulled in.
Most trains in Tokyo wait for about thirty seconds before closing their doors and moving on to the next station. During the last fifteen seconds, fast tempoed music is used to let people know that the doors are going to close.
The rhythm of the music is designed to make commuters move fast; not very difficult to accomplish at rush hour.
The tune is often annoying to the ears, especially when you're pushing and shoving in a panicing effort to get behind the closing doors.
I tried to run ahead of the crowd in an effort to make it to the front of the line, but the line had already started to form. I joined the lineup. The line was steadily moving along, although there were people lined up from the top to the bottom of the escalator-it was packed.
Many started to feel anxious. For that moment, the sole goal of three hundred people was to catch a train.
Suddenly, the music started to play-the fifteen second count down was under way.
I knew that if I didn't get down the to the platform that I was going to miss this train. If I missed it, I'd have had to wait 10 minutes for the next one. Missing the train meant being late for my appointment, and I wasn't going to let that happen.
I was so close, yet so far, it was as if fate was tormenting and laughing at us commutors.
Everyone had lined up on the down escalator leading to the platform, which happened to be on the right side. On the opposite side, not one soul had gone near the escalator going up and leading off the platform.
That was when that radical thought hit me and I saw my opportunity; the only thing I had to do was have the guts to go through that invisible barrier, that un-said rule of not going down an up escalator.
Shame on me for thinking such dirty thoughts.
When the music started to play, I had to make a decision. So, I made my move; I ran down the up escalator and caught the train just as the doors were shutting. A bit of my jacket got caught in the door, and I may have blushed a little, but I was in the train, goal accomplished.
I made my appointment and the rest is history.
You may be thinking to yourself, this story sounds like a typical commuting situation. Well, it is in part, although what I saw and learned was quite different.
The experience showed me that in competing for ones share of the pie, which in this case was my spot on the train; whether one is a company or an individual competing for a share of any spoils, we all have four choices:
The first choice is to lead the group.
Easier said then done, this requires foresight, aggressiveness, a little ruthlessness can’t hurt.
Since this experience, you can often find me dashing ahead of the group and getting down the escalator or stairs or wherever and on the train.
The second choice is to innovate.
Innovation can take many forms-in the broadest sense, innovation is doing what others are not, and getting ahead.
This was my choice.
The third choice is to follow the crowed.
This is the path that many are happy to take. Some can find happiness here; others might view it as the path to mediocrity.
To each his own.
The final choice is to be left behind. Nothing good can come from this choice.
It isn't a perfect model-it does help to demonstrate my point.
We all have needs and wants. In the case of commuting by train, taxi or whichever mode you prefer, it is natural for us to look for the most efficient way to get to where we want and need to go.
There is also an element of competition; fighting for taxi's or spots on the train, are examples of a few.
In Tokyo, most of the time there is enough room on the trains for everyone. However, from time to time, there are battles for space. Morning rush hour traffic is a good time for one to observe how groups of people think and react to the variables at hand-dodging this old lady, or avoiding that group of tourists and so on.
I'm sure we can all relate to the challenges of rush hour.
One day, while going through the regular motions that one does when transferring trains I made an interesting discovery.
While following a rush of people from one train to the next I noticed that there was only one way to get on the train I needed to ride. Looking ahead I saw two small single-file escalators; one going up leading off the platform, the other going down toward the platform.
The platform is that mystical place where trains can be boarded.
At the same time that the line was forming, I could hear the roar of the train pulling into the station. I didn’t have much time, and I couldn't afford to wait for the next train.
The group that I was following had started to form a line behind the down escalator leading to the platform where the train had just pulled in.
Most trains in Tokyo wait for about thirty seconds before closing their doors and moving on to the next station. During the last fifteen seconds, fast tempoed music is used to let people know that the doors are going to close.
The rhythm of the music is designed to make commuters move fast; not very difficult to accomplish at rush hour.
The tune is often annoying to the ears, especially when you're pushing and shoving in a panicing effort to get behind the closing doors.
I tried to run ahead of the crowd in an effort to make it to the front of the line, but the line had already started to form. I joined the lineup. The line was steadily moving along, although there were people lined up from the top to the bottom of the escalator-it was packed.
Many started to feel anxious. For that moment, the sole goal of three hundred people was to catch a train.
Suddenly, the music started to play-the fifteen second count down was under way.
I knew that if I didn't get down the to the platform that I was going to miss this train. If I missed it, I'd have had to wait 10 minutes for the next one. Missing the train meant being late for my appointment, and I wasn't going to let that happen.
I was so close, yet so far, it was as if fate was tormenting and laughing at us commutors.
Everyone had lined up on the down escalator leading to the platform, which happened to be on the right side. On the opposite side, not one soul had gone near the escalator going up and leading off the platform.
That was when that radical thought hit me and I saw my opportunity; the only thing I had to do was have the guts to go through that invisible barrier, that un-said rule of not going down an up escalator.
Shame on me for thinking such dirty thoughts.
When the music started to play, I had to make a decision. So, I made my move; I ran down the up escalator and caught the train just as the doors were shutting. A bit of my jacket got caught in the door, and I may have blushed a little, but I was in the train, goal accomplished.
I made my appointment and the rest is history.
You may be thinking to yourself, this story sounds like a typical commuting situation. Well, it is in part, although what I saw and learned was quite different.
The experience showed me that in competing for ones share of the pie, which in this case was my spot on the train; whether one is a company or an individual competing for a share of any spoils, we all have four choices:
The first choice is to lead the group.
Easier said then done, this requires foresight, aggressiveness, a little ruthlessness can’t hurt.
Since this experience, you can often find me dashing ahead of the group and getting down the escalator or stairs or wherever and on the train.
The second choice is to innovate.
Innovation can take many forms-in the broadest sense, innovation is doing what others are not, and getting ahead.
This was my choice.
The third choice is to follow the crowed.
This is the path that many are happy to take. Some can find happiness here; others might view it as the path to mediocrity.
To each his own.
The final choice is to be left behind. Nothing good can come from this choice.
