To be complex, one must first be simple. Because, unless it’s simple, it’s hard to get complicated. Every complex problem is a combination of simple problems. People tend to think that intelligence is complex. However, in hindsight, memory is just a continuation and connection of simplicity made up of thoughtful ingredients. Still, it is burdensome and complicated to find simplicity in an already complex system. Therefore, the pursuit of simplicity is a burdensome decision, one that requires a willingness to understand this complexity first. Growing up in the mind means taking on this burden and being willing to take on the challenge of finding simplicity in a formally complex system. It’s like a child taking their first steps, trying to get up while risking falling with their whole body. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
The relativity of values causes us to use money irrationally . I go to the supermarket to buy a $15 pen, and the clerk smiles and says, “You can buy this pen for $7 if you walk 5 minutes from here.” Then, most people walk five minutes and buy a $15 pen for $7. But if you want to buy a $1,000 jacket and the clerk smiles and says, “You can get a $992 jacket in five minutes from here,” most people simply buy the $1,000 jacket. Reasonably, walking for 5 minutes equals the effort, and the profit of $8 is the same. However, people might go to a store that sells pens more cheaply, but not for the jacket, because the discount rate is too low. In other words, the relativity of comparing values makes us act irrationally. The pen’s discount rate is 55%, and the jacket’s is only 0.8%. Yet, the total amount is the same for all $8, and the effort to gain that profit is identical. Attitudes and misconceptions about consumption influence how we build wealth . - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”