The relativity of values causes us to use money irrationally. I go to the supermarket to buy a $15 pen, and the clerk smiles and says, “You can buy this pen for $7 if you walk 5 minutes from here.” Then, most people walk five minutes and buy a $15 pen for $7. But if you want to buy a $1,000 jacket and the clerk smiles and says, “You can get a $992 jacket in five minutes from here,” most people simply buy the $1,000 jacket. Reasonably, walking for 5 minutes equals the effort, and the profit of $8 is the same. However, people might go to a store that sells pens cheaper, but not for the jacket, because the discount rate is too low. In other words, the relativity of comparing values makes us act irrationally. The pen’s discount rate is 55%, and the jacket’s is only 0.8%. Yet, the total amount is the same for all $8, and the effort to gain that profit is identical. Attitudes and misconceptions about consumption influence how we build wealth. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Most trees do not grow alone; they grow alongside other trees. If a tree does not thrive, it cannot develop further because it is overshadowed by its neighboring trees , making it difficult to bear fruit. If it does not bear fruit, it cannot prosper and may eventually die or decline. To bear fruit signifies survival. A tree or a person can gauge health and future development based on its fruit. The fruit of a person is represented by their work and achievements. The track record reflects aspects of luck, effort, ability, humanity, capital, and time. Each element contributes differently to performance, but the variation does not shame the individual. Success or failure is secondary; the true shame lies in having no achievements. Trees and people are evaluated by their fruit. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”