In a post today I was talking about the individual responsibility we have to find out about the things that effect our lives and it was met with both agreement and disagreement. On of the disagreements was the time and effort it takes to learn about much of these things and, the complexity and boredom associated with much of it. Most answered from a more crypto perspective but, this is something that (as I mentioned) is true about all things that effect our lives significantly. In my opinion, there is a certain amount of engineering in this.
If we look at the factors that directly influence our lives, very few actually know much about them. It could be finance, banking industry, government, law, policy, economy, tax, healthcare, insurance, probabilities, mental conditioning, personal health, exercise etc but, we all feel that we have a decent understanding of likely most of those areas. Is it true? Unlikely as for the most part, there is a great deal of complexity in each and each is a field of study, if not several.
Not only that but for the most part, unless interested directly these things are tedious, boring, difficult and unattractive to delve into. even though they affect us all directly.
As I see it, if you want to hide something without hiding it, make it seem difficult and, make it as boring as possible to look into. In a world full of instant gratifiers and leisure and pleasure seekers, most aren't going to invest the time and energy to actually find out if what seems hard and boring, actually is hard and boring to learn.
The other thing is the time it takes to find out. Even though each of these areas can be individual fields to specialize in and investigate for a lifetime, a general overview that can be used to create an understanding of systems, doesn't take that much effort.
Finance and economics is a good example of this. Yes, it is a rabbit hole depending on how you approach it but, building a basic understanding doesn't take that long, especially when there are very good guides to be found online. Yep, understanding how banks are actually the major creators of money (out of thin air with interest) might not be as exciting to watch as an episode of the latest hit series but, which one is going to have more effect on you over the potential 100 years of your lifetime?
This is the problem with instant gratification as it fails to recognise the fact that although YOLO! for most people, they aren't going to be hit by a bus tomorrow, next week or ever. Most are going to fulfill the average (proababilities) of around 80 odd years. Yet, here they are not investing into the things that are likely going to influence their lives for every day of those 80 years but instead, will consume a show that will be forgotten by next week.
In my view, this is a control mechanism. Make irrelevant simple and compelling, make relevant complex and boring. The masses are masses for a reason and it is generally because they don't understand what the minorities are actually doing even though, they feel that they do. We know we are at a disadvantage but instead of looking behind the boring curtain, our attention is drawn to the next shiny must have product.
This is the problem. Everyone wants the easy path, the quick fix delivered but, the ones doing the delivery are the ones who have designed the system so that they are the go-to pill dispensary. In the case of Big Pharma, literally. The system is made complex so that the average person can no longer deal with it themselves. Like lawyer language only being decipherable by another lawyer even though the simplifying of the language is all it takes to make them largely redundant.
It is a system of middlemen who are paid premiums to deal with the things that we as the mass feel we are unable to deal with ourselves and in so doing, they make value without providing anything of real value. All they are doing is being an interface between points that often, we could learn to do without them.
If we look at the movement of money across borders, it is easy to see this happen. If my brother in Australia sends me 100 dollars, he has to transfer through a bank. I think last time he sent money for his niece's account, there was a 12% surcharge to get it to Finland. 12%. He could have sent it through the mail but, that is illegal. Well, we know what the cure is for this particular complexity is already, don't we?
But this happens in a thousand ways every day as middlemen all over the place take their cuts while we wonder why, no matter how much we work, there is never enough left over to break out, get away and live economically free. The largest consumer of our finances likely isn't a necessary service at all. Blockchain might trust might streamline many of these middle services out of business.
The personal investment costs of time and energy to find out about the boring to simplify the complexity will more than pay itself off in a lifetime but, it isn't attractive, it isn't fun. At least for most people. It is easier to say that the system is broken (it is), unfair (it is) and blame the external believing it is all outside of ones control than to actually find out if that is true.
In my opinion, the idea that it is all out of our control has become a social meme for those to make themselves feel better about not taking responsibility. The unfortunate truth is, we all have some agency over the directions our life takes and the decisions we make are on the information we hold. Perhaps knowing what happens at the end of Game of Thrones or the latest ridiculous 'reality' show will affect the outcome of our lives but, it is highly unlikely it is going to improve the quality of our lives.
How we invest our time and the experience and knowledge we pick up along the way is going to dictate not only what kinds of decisions we make but, what kinds of opportunities we identify and evaluate. Not only this, these factors will be passed along, generation after generation as we teach our children to have values, just like us and, indoctrinate them into being much like us.
Knowledge isn't power, it is just a doorway. It is the wisdom on how to use it that is the key. However, one still needs to gain the knowledge and, if it is easy to get, it isn't likely valuable to hold. A lot of it is a lot less complicated than it seems, it has just been put out of reach with an open jar of cookies in front of it.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
This issue of unwillingness to learn, especially if you think there is nothing interesting or useful to learn outside of what you already know, is something i have observed allot of. Not to mention ego getting in the way of understanding. Somehting that I likely have issues with aswell.
So how then to awaken the curiosity to understand the self and the world we exist in, in order to not be used by the once who do, and dont respect morality. To then enact upon that understanding. That is something I whould want to know
I don't have an issue with this, never have, never will as I am that kind of person.... I think people underestimate how strong an ego that doesn't really exist can be.
Keep asking questions until it is clear. At first, it might seem like chasing ones tail perhaps but, as the cycle is seen, the circle stats to expand (or contract depending on how you look at it).
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A little bit of knowledge in many areas pays off. You don't have to be a mechanic to change a tire. Or a carpenter to build a planter on your patio.
People now longer need knowledge because its there at their fingertips provided by people other people's knowledge. Thinking for oneself is also not required because everyone has a box or two in their homes that will tell you what your opinion is. Need a date don't worry woe the cute girl done the block not required because there a site for that.
What a great time we live in.
here I set here day after day learning this stuff. Born in the wrong generation I guess.
In the future, it will be the people who learn now with the advantage.
knowledge can also be damaging sometimes. I dove hard into psychology, because I felt like (and there definitely is) somwhting wrong with me. But it made me become much more neurotic...
Similar thing about politics and the financial system, it is good to be aware of all the legal scams that run our system, but to be all up in arms about them can be damaging as well. Unless you are a politician you won't be able to change much. We can try to spread awareness, but right now the MSM is still way to strong and we have clowns like Alex Jones and Ben Shapiro on the spearhead of alternative media.
Many people do the same and perhaps, they are the ones who shouldn't :) Hoever, perhaps, that is the wrong kind of knowledge for what was required, the wrong branch of the rabbit hole.
It is not just about knowing the scam, it is about understanding the system one operates in.
Hope you are well mate. Been a while.
We are all lacking knowledge and that is why people study for years in various fields. We only take interest when new laws come out or something changes. Taxes affect everyone and we should all know where and how we can bend the rules but still be legal. Ignorance costs all of us not knowing what is possible. I know personally I have lost 100's of thousands over the years by not knowing what you can claim for. No one is going to tell you and it is for you to find out.
Me too.
You bring up some interesting points. I'm rather new to SteemIt and still just looking around. I'd like to start a conversation on the the need to rapidly rethink our values on a global scale. Since the 30's we are consuming Earth's resources faster than they can regenerate. Today this consumption has reached 1.7 Earth Planets per year and our environment is degrading fast. We have now a very narrow window of time to evolve to a sustainable planetary civilisation that might have a future, or watch all life on Earth disappear as our atmosphere slowly starts to resemble that of Venus. The 6th extinction is well under way and we might not be spared for long.
To come back to the post above, the quality of our lives starts with informed decisions and we are ourselves the only ones responsible for the filtering and interpreting the information we receive. It is now more important than ever to assume this responsibility.
You should spend time writing about it and finding accounts that are along the similar areas. Comment on their blogs with what is relevant to them well and the conversations will start. it takes time to build though.
I agree with this and yet, we seem to be moving away from responsibility en masse while a minority move more toward it. That may change in time.
This is so true. I didn't bother to understand the crypto space until a friend made more than $50000 last year. To think I could've been the one just made me angry
most who don't bother often end up not bothering for the next opportunity either. be careful :)
@tarazkp yes responsibility in every field of life we have to maintain it every aspect
good
are you sure about that?