What did I learn from watching four men fighting over a table

I was sitting in a café a few days ago when I turned around to see three elderly men sitting in a highly sought-after corner, and I often saw fights breaking out over that very spot. People who were apparently going to stand in line to get their order were not going to accept the presence of new people at their table. “This is my place,” the man shouted, then added: “Look, I left my newspaper there,” before he trudged off to get his coffee. One of the men murmured: “We always see newspapers in cafes. How were we supposed to know?” » It was a sufficiently acceptable defense to gain the support of his friends and justify their failure to budge from their place. When the man returned carrying his coffee, he was not at all happy to discover that the condition of his table had not changed. “Move,” he shouted commandingly. What happened next was one of the most poetic transformations I have seen in recent times. One of the people said quietly: “Why don’t you come and sit with us? Our company is very enjoyable.” . Amazingly, the man agreed! For the next half hour, the four men exchanged names, stories, and jokes, and seemed to really enjoy each other's company. The man who claimed the place was his let down his guard. The men asked him questions about his work, his past, and his life. It quickly became clear that no one had done that in a while. Ultimately a potentially tense situation is negated just by making an effort to communicate. From the book 44 Amazing by: Nick Maccarone