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Just my thoughts #0604

People often say that as one gets older, time passes more quickly, while in youth, time seems to move more slowly. The reason individuals feel that time goes by more slowly when they are young is likely due to a decline in memory. As children, people have limited experience, so everything feels new, and they tend to remember new things well. Having less experience translates to fewer memories. Because there are so many new memories, children perceive time as passing slowly. However, as people age, experience accumulates, and they typically become better at predicting situations, making it easier to cope, resulting in fewer surprises. Since these experiences are not exceptional, they tend to forget them, and when reflecting on the past, there’s little to recall, creating the sensation that time flies. Among the aspects of aging, what is scarier than the decline of the senses is the deterioration of expectations. If the flavor of food becomes predictable based on accumulated experience, ...

Just my thoughts #0603

Wealth is the state of accumulating added value. Most of us consider money a tool for accumulating value, but there are many other forms in this world. However, all other values are typically expressed as ‘price,’ which is a value compared to goods in terms of money. Therefore, a preconceived notion exists that most means of accumulating value are strictly monetary in nature. Nevertheless, various tools for accumulating value are available, such as jewelry, luxury goods, bonds, and real estate. The value of goods produced by labor is referred to as ‘price.’ Labor can only be directed toward production when the price level is slightly higher than the value of money. Hence, it is normal for prices of goods to continue rising. If they rise excessively, it leads to inflation; on the other hand, if they fall below their value, it results in deflation. There is a problem between the gaps. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Just my thoughts #0602

Production and processing create added value. Wealth is the accumulation of this added value. Distribution shares this added value among economic entities. Cultivating coffee trees generates added value for green coffee beans, while roasting those beans adds further value to the coffee product. Grinding the beans and extracting them with water creates and consumes the added value of a cup of coffee. Finance enables the distribution of the added value generated by this production and processing through the use of money, facilitating the easy accumulation of that value. However, finance can leverage its power only because there was prior production and processing. The challenge arises when the compulsory circulation power of currency enables the ownership of labor and resources that underpin production and processing, along with real estate, which is foundational to its existence. If production, processing, and distribution are dictated by money’s compulsory circulation power, who will g...

Just my thoughts #0601

‘Luxury’ has a moral original sin because it is impractical and creates a sense of incongruity between the relatively rich and the poor. Thus, it is true that ‘luxury’ also carries a negative image. However, the rich do purchase luxuries regularly, with a few practical exceptions. This is because luxury items not only incur less depreciation, but their resale value often exceeds the purchase price over time. Think of luxury handbags or jewelry. To preserve or increase wealth, you must have an eye for luxury. This doesn’t mean you should live in luxury; rather, it highlights the challenge of maintaining your accumulated wealth unless you change your habits and attitude toward acquiring assets. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Just my thoughts #0600

The universe we live in is empty mainly in terms of matter density. The protons and neutrons that constitute matter are called baryons, and approximately one proton exists in a space of 19.8 square meters. However, when the universe expands rapidly, the cosmic background radiation, known as a photon, is produced, resulting in two billion more photons in a grain of light. Since this light is a microwave, which has low energy and a long wavelength, it cannot be seen by the human eye. Therefore, humans, who only perceive visible light, consider the universe and the night sky to be dark. If there were aliens capable of seeing microwaves, the universe would be shining very brightly. The truth is that nothing has changed, but if the standards shift, it’s an entirely different story. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Just my thoughts #0599

Diving into the water without an oxygen tank is called ‘free-diving.’ It is a form of apnea diving in which divers must hold their breath for an extended period while diving deep into the water with just one breath of oxygen. The difficulty in holding the diver’s breath during this time is not due to a lack of oxygen but rather an increase in carbon dioxide concentration. In other words, if you keep your heart rate low and your metabolism slow, you produce less carbon dioxide, which allows you to dive for a longer duration. The only way to maintain a low heart rate is to remain as calm as possible. Maintaining calmness has numerous benefits in life. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Just my thoughts #0598

The definition of ‘virtual’ in the dictionary refers to a presumed existence or subject that is treated as if it does not exist in reality. However, in contemporary usage, ‘virtual’ describes something that cannot be physically sensed by human beings. For instance, ‘virtual currency’ exists in the form of bits, as it cannot be perceived sensibly. Just because you can’t feel it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. In fact, human senses cannot detect the smallest unit of atoms that compose all things, yet that does not negate their existence. If something that does not exist but can exist as a hypothesis is called ‘virtual,’ then it exists in reality as a concept as soon as it is assumed! When something is hypothesized, the entity that is assumed originally did not exist, and the subject who made the assumption had not existed from the beginning, thus proving its existence by expressing the will of that assumption. Therefore, distinguishing between virtual and real holds no ontological signifi...

Just my thoughts #0597

To realize added value, production activities must occur. In other words, added value arises from production activities. Production involves bringing into existence things that did not previously exist in the world. This can be accomplished by combining existing items to create new ones or by processing raw materials into new products. Production includes physical manufacturing, knowledge generation, and service creation. Wealth represents the accumulation of added value. Consequently, to become wealthy, one must be productive. However, value is determined through relative comparison. A product can only be exchanged if it can be priced, and added value can only be actualized by exchanging this product. This process is referred to as commerce. In other words, it is known as a transaction. Through trade, humanity distributes this added value. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”