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”
If a New Zealand fisherman catches a seabream in New Zealand, he makes a profit of $9 per kilogram, but if a tourist catches it, $88 goes back to New Zealand. This is because to fish a seabream, the tourist has to spend money on flights, hotels, and all sorts of rentals. The opportunity cost and value-added will change as B2B becomes B2C. - Joseph's "just my thoughts"