Honor System

Something really hit me today about the Austrian people and the Austrian culture: they really do respect rules (written and spoken.) I have been thinking a lot about the "honor system" of the underground in Vienna. Unlike the system in London, it is quite easy for one to get away with not paying for a ticket. There are no gates to stop a person if he/she does not pay. I have noticed that by implementing this kind of system,(really the honor system), the government is giving people the benefit of the doubt by giving people the choice to make the moral decision. I must admit that I haven't always followed these rules myself...but now that I have been living in Austria for longer than my original "tourist" visa would allow, my guilty conscience has started to kick in a little bit. I know that it is terrible to generalize about people, but overall the Austrians are friendly people with rude/annoying tendencies. Like sticking together to the point of exclusion of others. Of being so shy that it comes off as being cold. Welcome to Austria, and the land of rules within a continent of relaxed standards.