Adam Smith, the author of The Wealth of Nations, believed that “empathy is an intellectual activity that takes into account circumstances, motives, luck, social status, and human character of the person.” The moment we blame another person’s actions, we examine the appropriateness of those actions. Adequacy is a state of neither excess nor understatement. If everyone else thinks a person is bad but I advocate for that person by saying, “I can understand,” then I approve of their actions. This situation is called “mutual sympathy.” In our lives, we can be egocentric in some cases and relation-centric in others. The more mutual sympathy exists, the more relationship-oriented our thinking becomes. Both too much and too little can lead to tiredness or dissatisfaction. Pursuing happiness means finding this adequacy. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Architecture has developed in response to the epidemic. The city was designed to mitigate the risk of outbreaks. However, its high population density renders it susceptible to epidemics. A potential solution to this issue involves the construction of a water supply and sewage system, which safeguards individuals from waterborne infectious diseases (e.g., cholera) by effectively separating and burying water and sewage underground. Nonetheless, the advent of vaccines has facilitated the existence of megacities with populations exceeding 10 million people. Indeed, microorganisms predominantly populate the Earth. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”