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”
Texting is locking time in space. Words are a temporal language, and letters are spatial language. Words die out over time, but letters form a “logic” with sentence and word rearrangement. The nobility monopolized this letter. Texting was power. The advent of social media proves that writing is still power. Writing skills, beauty, fun, and benefits are advantageous in this power game. It is the birth of a new aristocrat. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”