Allow me to explain. As I write these words amid the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps, where good manners are as ubiquitous as the fresh mountain air, I cannot help but be amazed by the orderliness that a society can achieve if it puts its mind to it. Though just a four-hour plane ride from Israel, Switzerland is a palpable reminder of what a nation of seemingly dedicated freiers can accomplish. The Swiss are famously courteous and civil, everything runs on time and there is no jostling over spots in queues. Politeness prevails and daily life is not a series of internecine battles to see who will come out ahead.
People volunteer to be the freier, allowing others to graciously have their way.
The result is that Switzerland works and it is anything but a freier, as its wealth and stability indicate. The whole, it seems, is greater than the sum of its freiers. Israel is a different story altogether. Everyone tries to avoid being a sucker, yet it is a battle that even the best do not always win. Someone is bound to move a little faster, or push a little harder.