Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Universality: Exclusivity alone does not create value because value is not automatically generated by monopolizing something that isn’t worthwhile. For a monopoly to effectively build value, the monopoly object must be scarce and in limited supply. Conversely, universality also creates value. Scarcity relates to the concept of universality as a correspondence, and the value of universality is also affected by the limitations imposed by scarcity. Nothing has absolute value; all values are merely relative. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Implement: The act of turning thoughts, plans, or wills into reality. There is a significant difference between ‘knowing’ and ‘being able to do.’ Knowing a lot doesn’t mean you’re skilled at it, and just because you’re skilled doesn’t mean you know a lot. It’s limited to ‘knowing,’ and that reality doesn’t change unless you act. It’s crucial to practice “what I can do” first. Even if you have extensive knowledge of stock investing, it’s useless unless you actually invest. Even if you’re poor, you should invest a small amount of money; your knowledge is then put to the test. It’s foolish to study only until you have money and then invest in tangible assets after accumulating substantial wealth. It’s wiser to start with a small investment and gradually increase it as your knowledge is proven. Beginning with what you can do NOW is the ONLY way to truly demonstrate your knowledge. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Iteration and Optimization: It would be great to do something well on the first try, but humans are not perfect. To do it well, you need to go through repeated failures and successes, and during that process, you have to identify the pattern that works best for you. This process is called optimization. Optimization requires iteration. Efficiency and profits are guaranteed by repeating a process until a particular singularity is achieved, thereby maintaining that level of excellence. The general rule for success in society is to iterate and keep optimizing. Being consistent is the fastest way to improve. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Technology Advancement and Ethics: One reason humans differ from other animals is because of ‘ethics.’ Due to this difference, we believe that human beings are unique and that ethics are relatively stable. However, the factor that alters human ethics is the development of science and technology. In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that mixing four chemicals with human skin cells could create undifferentiated stem cells. These cells are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into any type of body organ. Before this discovery, it was thought that such cells could only be produced through the combination of sperm and egg, but it was later found that they could also be synthesized artificially. Human philosophies, values, and ethics are trapped within technological advances. As science and technology advance, existing ethical frameworks are increasingly challenged. Now, traditional values that have been defended by gender distinction will experience severe conflict. - Jos...

Human Networking: Although human networking doesn’t guarantee success, it is undeniable that it has a significant impact. According to a 2018 study published by Prof. Paul Ingram and Prof. Mitali Banerjee of Columbia Business School in the USA, friends and networking are more important than creativity for increasing social success and recognition among artists. It is also said that an artist’s friendships influence their creativity. The most notable example is Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky believed that multinational connections had a significant influence. That’s not to say that ability isn’t necessary. Ultimately, art also highlights the value of community identity. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Habits and Structuring: The human willpower is of limited help when trying to change habits or create new ones. Everyone has habits that are hard to change. If you repeatedly forget to do something, you may feel embarrassed. In that case, you need to change the structure. For example, change the order of tasks. This is called coupling or decoupling, and connecting new habits with existing ones can make changes easier to implement. For instance, if you often run late in the morning, consider changing the order of your routine or linking it with another habit. If you forget to take your morning medication, try attaching it to another daily activity, such as drinking water before or after a meal, and the habit of forgetfulness will fade. Relying solely on willpower is unwise. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Micro-movement refers to small shifts. Kim Yong-woon, who authored the book “History’s Counterattack,” states that before a state changes, an ambiguous phase occurs during the process. This is called ‘micro-movement,’ and he argues that a rigid organization that suppresses this micro-movement will ultimately lead to frustration or catastrophe. He explains that permitting micro-movement equates to autonomy, and an open organization that allows this fosters ‘self-organization’ and the ‘emergence of creativity.’ He also mentions that human ability is defined as pattern recognition, which helps distinguish between ‘trivial’ and ‘essential’ elements. It is believed that when human activity reaches a critical point, key insights can be derived from seemingly trivial details. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Small Fun: Although not essential, small fun helps prevent corruption and depravity, and keeps greed in check. In fact, the key to controlling greed isn’t moderation, but small fun itself. However, if that small fun ever disappears—leaving you bored or unmotivated—it’s important to take time for self-reflection. While big fun doesn’t last long and can actually fuel greed, by contrast, small fun supports steady effort and offers you time to reflect leisurely. Therefore, to live a happy life, we must find some small fun. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Survival of the Fittest and Cooperation: Examining the world from the perspective of competition for survival reveals that only the strong and fittest survive, a concept often referred to as “Falling Prey to the Strong and Survival of the Fittest.” However, there are cases where this principle does not apply, when each entity cooperates with the others. Then, rather than surviving because they are strong and adaptable, it may be that they are strong and adaptable because they survived. Cooperation is an act of a very peculiar nature. The truth is, those who cooperate are the strongest. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The Paradox of Development. In 2008, Google created a system to predict flu outbreaks in advance. Initially, the tool accurately forecasted when and where the flu might occur. However, in 2013, a new feature was added that suggested related search terms. As a result, searchers began inputting their queries less carefully, which led to a decline in the system’s predictive performance. Although improvements have been made since then, this example illustrates how enhancements in one area can cause failures in another. Therefore, it seems like we gain by losing, and often lose by gaining. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Garbage: Nothing starts as garbage; it becomes so when materials used to protect valuables, like packaging, are no longer needed, or when objects become obsolete or worn out after their expiration date, such as second-hand goods. In essence, garbage results from the end of roles or functions, as well as the passing of values over time. Similarly, the mind follows this process. The defense mechanisms of the mind, which I once valued for self-protection, may also become garbage. When they are no longer valid or worth protecting, we may cling to them, though they are mere illusions. Just as with physical waste, mental garbage should be discarded rather than kept. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Storytelling: When the future is uncertain and making decisions becomes difficult, we should calmly gather our thoughts and craft our own story. Stories hold power—the power to neatly organize complex situations. We accept and understand even absurd stories with interest if they fit the art of storytelling. Storytelling reconstructs the situation and finds and fills in the missing meaning between events based on facts. As a result, we complete and accept a coherent narrative. We experience cognitive dissonance when a narrative isn’t interpreted due to an incomprehensible situation, meaning the gap between events isn’t understood. This cognitive dissonance causes instability, which further complicates the situation. Addressing twists, turns, and future uncertainties requires a focus on storytelling. In this process, I need to identify the parts I missed and complete the meaning. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Expectations and disappointments stem from the same root. External factors do not separate expectations from disappointments; rather, internal factors do. We can’t easily stop losing if we lose a little because expectations remain. Moreover, we’re not satisfied with small profits; we want more. In other words, greed is the root of both expectations and disappointments. It’s wrong to say that you’re disappointed because you expect it. Since they share the same root, expectations and disappointments only intersect depending on the situation. With a big loss, you lose patience, and with a big profit, you feel happy only then. Large gains or losses are hard to sustain, but small, everyday victories are easier to maintain because our brains are wired that way. Big negative events often result from a series of small bad outcomes, while big happiness comes from accumulating small joys. Our life is about continuously pushing forward with small but steady steps. Repeating small decisions can le...

Space and Gravity: We understand intangible values like price or worth using spatial and physical metaphors: high or low, rising or falling. Although intangible value has no physical properties, we mentally map it onto ideas of space and gravity. For instance, we imagine a lowest point for value, equating a price drop with a sharp fall and a rise with a slow climb, as if gravity is at work. This illustrates that our thinking applies the rules of space and gravity to even the most abstract concepts. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Stock prices fluctuate constantly. There are several reliable ways to mitigate stock price volatility: trading short-term gap price differences, buying and selling with momentum, or holding high-quality stocks for the long term until volatility averages out. When stock price movement is mathematically differentiated by time, the instantaneous price emerges—but humans cannot act in microseconds. In contrast, computers, with enhanced performance, can now trade at these speeds. Furthermore, by using artificial intelligence to analyze stock data, computers can reduce mistakes and trade algorithmically, unaffected by emotion. Still, even computers are limited if humans incorrectly input trading rules. Humans are not suboptimal investors due to a shortage of information or knowledge, but because they often fail to follow the necessary rules in each situation. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Liquidation Value: All valuations consider present and future values. Value is generated over time. It begins in the present and extends into the future. This ongoing value is referred to as continuing value. Countries, corporations, households, and individuals set current values based on the belief that the present state will persist. What happens if it does not continue? It loses its future value. This state is known as the liquidation value. For example, this occurs if you quit your business. Almost all investments involve buying and selling assets based on their future worth. If you buy at a price lower than the liquidation value, you make a significant profit. If you buy at the liquidation value, you pay a fair price. If you pay more, you risk overpaying or buying a bubble. Value depends on time. Continuing a process is key to valuation. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Meaning of “Non-existence”: In mathematics, the number “0 (zero)” can signify both “does not exist” and the transition of a filled unit to a higher one in the decimal system. The first meaning is connected to ontology, while the second explains how, when one decimal unit is full, the total shifts to the next unit, and a zero indicates this shift. In this system, zero marks that the next higher unit is present. Philosophically, the concept of “nothing” is viewed in the West as “non-existence,” but in the East, it can signify a transformation to the next level after being filled. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t have anything. Your “disappointment” also comes from the fact that other areas have already been filled. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Money and Morals: Mencius is regarded as a saint who spoke only of righteousness, but he mentioned a lot of economic issues. Among them, it has been said that humans must have a steady livelihood so their righteousness can also be maintained. According to Mencius, it’s hard to follow human morals without a certain income. To be wealthy, you must have a small, but regular income, which is better than an irregular one. In business, the ‘bottom (seed capital)’ is very important. You need a foundation to start a business. No matter how much capital-less startups are, the fact is that the founders’ labor costs are being consumed. In other words, this means there is a bottom, and nothing is free. Creating a consistent income in life cannot be overstated. If you are struggling due to financial hardship, make sure to have a steady income, even if it’s small. That small, steady income makes the future predictable, turning uncertainty into certainty. Businesses and investments are profitable whe...

Market and Salability: The value of a commodity cannot outperform the market. For example, no matter how high a stock’s price may be, it will eventually converge to the overall stock market index. After creating an ETF, which is a financial product that tracks the stock market or a specific industry’s stock index, the ETF was introduced into the stock market, and this is a fact that humanity has only recently recognized. The fact that individual stock prices cannot outperform the stock market. It’s a market adaptation, not market research. Market research is not conducted to beat the market, but to adapt to it properly. It’s about understanding your products or services to adapt to the current market rather than solely focusing on product or service quality. If you align with the market rather than oppose it, you will ultimately achieve success. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Money and God: The Bible draws a comparison between humans’ tendency to worship money above all else and the sin of not worshiping God. This comparison arises because money, like God, represents a concept of infinity in human terms. Money shows the value of each unit as a number. Although it is just a paper bill, the number on it indicates its currency value, called the nominal value. Yet, even if many bills are present, the real value is only the cost of paper and printing, making the intrinsic value insignificant. However, if society recognizes it, the nominal value of money can theoretically be limitless despite its negligible intrinsic worth. This potential for limitlessness mirrors human greed, which also knows no bounds. In contrast, when God revealed Himself to humans, He said, “I am that I am.” This statement emphasizes God’s true infinity. What could be a better way to express God’s infinite nature? - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”