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Simple Answers to Complex Problems: Mediocrity 101

February 20, 2018

democracy, economy, education, idiocy, ignorance, responsibility, social media, society

Seeking simple answers to complex problems is to an extent part of human nature. Since the dawn of time, humans have had the need to find explanations to the grand mysteries surrounding them. And so thunder was the work of Zeus. Earthquakes occurred because titans were wrestling. As for seeing the moon mysteriously disappearing every now and then, that was a result of a hungry dragon. Right? Right?

Part of the issue of seeking simple answers to complex questions is related to human nature; particularly our relationship to time.

[Reflection] endows man with that thoughtfulness which so completely distinguishes his consciousness from that of the animal, and through which his whole behaviour on earth turns out so differently from that of his irrational brothers. He far surpasses them in power and in suffering. They live in the present alone; he lives at the same time in the future and the past. They satisfy the need of the moment; he provides by the most ingenious preparations for his future, nay, even for times that he cannot live to see. They are given up entirely to the impression of the moment, to the effect of the motive of perception; he is determined by abstract concepts independent of the present moment.
(Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation. 1 st ed. 1958. Translated by E.F.J. Payne. New York: Dover, 1969. p 36)

But what does that mean, especially for our topic, that is the tendency to seek simple answers to complex problems?

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Why Are 80s Retro Items Expensive?

January 26, 2018

Society

change, comparing, economy, growing up, nostalgia, society

In my post about nostalgia I talked about the fact that we recollect not space or time, but feelings. Still, problems related to time (and space) can and do creep in. Have you notice how expensive retro items have become?

For instance, I couldn’t have imagined when I was a kid, growing up in the 80s, that items such as my Casio wristwatch, my Tomy water games, or my board games, would three decades later be worth 10 times their value. To some extent, this is something you can expect with retro or vintage items.

And yet, one would think that such should be the case with something that is either far older (say, a toy from the 1920s) or far more rare (say, a limited-edition camera). To see a simple plastic toy from the 80s, which was surely produced in substantial quantities, cost a hundred euros or more, is baffling. What could be the reason for that, why are some 80s retro items expensive?

retro items expensive — I had a similar watch in the 80s. Back then it cost peanuts. Nowadays, not exactly

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Human Uniqueness: You’re Special, just like Everyone Else

January 16, 2018

Society

comparing, death, identity, life, musings, society, success

Ah, human uniqueness… What a funny fallacy. The human experience consists of a series of contradictions. How many times have you wanted to be left alone, secretly wishing you would be nevertheless not? And how many times have you done something fully aware of the fact that it would lead to unpleasant results?

How many times have you wanted to feel the center of attention, at the same time feeling excessively self-conscious, loathing all the attention you’re after all getting? Humans love being deluded, and they adore fooling themselves.

It might be a coping mechanism, I am not qualified to say. But perhaps this is the most valid argument for human uniqueness: no other creature must be so capable at containing so contradicting ideas in their consciousness.

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