Human beings are rational animals. Our scientific name, Homo Sapiens, literally means “thinking man”. Being a logical thinker is part of who we are. An irrational human conveys something negative in our minds.
We think logically in order to solve problems. To make this complex world easier to understand, we label things in black or white instead of different shades of the same spectrum.
More than seven years ago, I wrote my experience about the mirage of free time. In that story, I thought I had all the time in the world to do the things I needed to do, but I basically did nothing in the end. It was a confounding paradox that always proved true from my experience then on.
I find that the more my day is restricted, the more I was able to do the things I needed to do. And the more the day is laid out for me like a blank canvas, the less productive I become.
Friends are the spice of life. They are our rampart in times of distress, the confidante to our innermost thoughts, and reinforces us in times of weakness. Of all the people we know throughout life, there are only a few that fits the bill. An even rarer find are your true friends; those that do not leave you even when things get really tough.
What makes someone a friend? How do they stand out from the rest of our acquaintances? Seneca, in his letter On True and False Friendship said that the crucial element is trust.
Is saving money a good thing? Most people would say yes, and many will wonder why you are asking such a stupid question. Saving money is essential for building wealth and protecting us from catastrophe. But as with all things, nothing in life can be defined in absolutes. Even the act of saving money can be detrimental under some circumstances. How is this so?
The value of money to you in the present will not be the same as its value in the future. We all know the concept of compound interest and how powerful it is for growing your wealth. For compounding to take full effect, it needs time, and a lot of it. We are encouraged to save and invest as early as possible to reap the benefits of compound interest.
It has been said that life is short. As we only have limited time on this earth, we should experience as many things as possible. No one knows when their last day will be. Maybe today, perhaps tomorrow, or many years into the future. So we try to live in the fast track, determined to experience life through the windows of a speeding train. Having enough is something we don’t consider.
We love to dine at an eat-all-you-can buffet. Ordering a dessert sampler instead of individual pieces. Traveling with a jam-packed itinerary. These are the things we do in order to take that “shortcut” of experiences. Instead of having to experience them one at a time, we now have the option of trying everything at once.