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”
Babies who are only six months old cannot walk. However, with a bit of training, this baby can swim in the water . Just because the baby can’t walk doesn’t mean the baby can’t swim. All humans are born in amniotic fluid in their mother’s womb when they are fetuses . It is normal for a 6-month-old baby to be unable to walk. Yet, the idea that the baby can’t even swim is a prejudice. Our stereotypes stem from taking things for granted. Imagination begins by doubting the obvious. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”