We usually think of “investment” as giving effort or money to someone. But investing is more about exchanging what you have for some value, and the object of the investment has some worth rather than just giving something away. Some exchanged values can be monetary or moral. If I swap my cash for moral and social benefits, it becomes a religious or social contribution. However, if the object of exchange is an asset with a specific monetary value or potential for profit, it is an economic investment. The world is designed to facilitate some form of value exchange. The main idea of investing is to trade low volatility for high volatility and then switch back to low volatility over time. The former is called an investment, and the latter is called an exit. Cash tends to be less volatile, while stocks and digital coins are very volatile. By exchanging assets with small volatility, stability is maintained, but wealth is not necessarily increased. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
One of the purposes of commerce is to build strength. Gaining wealth gives us power, which is the ability to influence others. There are three main types of power: first, power gained through coercion or threats; second, power obtained through payment or inducement; and third, power gained through attraction. The power obtained through coercion, threats, payment, or inducement—that is, force or tactics—is called ‘hard power,’ while the power gained through ‘attraction’ without using force is called ‘soft power.’ Additionally, the ability to effectively achieve your goals using coercion, payment, and attraction is known as ‘smart power.’ Depending on the situation, we may need all three types; however, soft power is something that everyone admires. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”