Being in debt means using up the future in the present. Essentially, it’s about how we manage our time. Therefore, the most valuable resource for debtors is time, and it depends on which side time favors. Paying off debt is like repaying borrowed future time early. When the ability to generate wealth over time decreases, the future time becomes a burden, and the debtor faces the pain of bankruptcy. Taking on debt is costly. It may seem like borrowed money is repaid with money, but the irreplaceable resource of time is also returned along with interest. With the rise of postpaid credit cards as a common payment method, we’ve become less sensitive to the associated pain and cost. There are two ways to spend money: using present time or future time. The costs and pain are much higher when the future is spent as if it were the present. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
A panopticon is a prison design inspired by British utilitarian Jeremy Bentham’s ideas. The most effective way to monitor prisoners is to create spaces where a few prison officers can observe many prisoners without being seen themselves. Control is not exercised by the prison officers but rather by the design of the space. A watchtower with tiny windows is situated in the center of the circular structure, allowing the interior of the prison to appear bright while enabling the prison officers in the watchtower to keep an eye on the prisoners. Power stems from the ability to observe others without revealing one’s existence. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”