The Synchronized Lanterns

A coastal village used lanterns to guide ships through a narrow channel. Every household along the cliff was to light their lantern at dusk. All lanterns lit meant safe passage. Even one dark spot could wreck a ship.

Each household paid for its own oil. On lean nights, a family might think: “If everyone else lights theirs, mine won’t be missed.” But if several families thought this way, the chain would break.

The village elder gathered them and said, “The question is not whether your lantern matters. It does. The question is whether you trust your neighbor’s lantern will be lit when yours is.”

They agreed to light together, each evening, visibly, so trust could be renewed nightly.