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 cheaper, 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”
Approximately 85% to 90% of the global population is right-handed, while the remainder is left-handed, with very few being ambidextrous. Throughout history, horses have served as a primary mode of transportation for humans. Typically, right-handed individuals mount a horse from the left side, relying on their right hand to grasp the saddle for support. If a person approaches the horse from the edge of a busy road on the left, this naturally orients the horse’s movement toward the left side of the road. Consequently, human anatomical tendencies have influenced the direction of road traffic. This practice led to the establishment of the left-hand shipping rule for vehicles, ships, planes, and even space shuttles. Thus, our civilization on Earth represents a legacy shaped by human anatomical traits. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”