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Showing posts with the label Yap Islands

Just my thoughts #0390

If we don’t have something, we often think we don’t have it at all. However, even when we possess nothing, we fail to check if someone around us has something, and we simply give up. If someone nearby lacks it, we give up immediately. We struggle to identify the next person around us, don’t inquire about introductions, and we lack the courage to reach out. In difficult situations, we see only the fact that we have nothing substantial and can’t contemplate anything beyond that. No, we don’t even attempt to change our mindset. People falter not because they lack resources, but because they don’t think or have the courage. Even though we should live with wisdom instead of just hard work, we often labor tirelessly but without insight. This leads to more downfall; it feels like choosing to perish. Doing our best doesn’t equate to merely working hard. We strive for achievement yet work diligently without being wise. Consequently, we find ourselves falling again. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Just my thoughts #0080

There is a country of 607 islands in the West Pacific, Micronesia. One of the islands, “Yap Islands,” used limestone as a currency. The monetary unit is “fei”. Big stones, oh no, big money, 3.6 meters in diameter and weighed 3.5 tons. The bigger and heavier is a more expensive price, because of the harder the carving. The peculiar thing was that when the people moved the stone for trading, they directly moved it with a canoe, and no one marked the money after the transaction. In the meantime, a rich man had to deal with someone and he met the storm while carrying the stone money in a canoe. Securing his survival, he had to throw his money out of the canoe into the water. When he met the counterparty with an empty hand, no sooner did they confirm the force majeure case than the counterparty confirmed that the villagers additionally recognized the value of the sunk money in the water and approved the transaction. Then, the existence of the sunk stone money was recorded on a wooden board,...