The Spice Road

Two traders crossed paths every month on the spice road. Each carried goods the other wanted.

In a single encounter, cheating made sense — take the goods and vanish. But they met every month. And every month, each remembered what happened the last time.

The first month, both traded fairly. The second month, one trader shortchanged the other. The third month, the cheated trader refused to deal at all. The cheater, losing a reliable partner, returned to honest trade. By the sixth month, both traded fairly again.

Cooperation survived not because of trust or morality, but because the relationship had a future. The shadow of tomorrow disciplined today.