Everything Has A Cost

It All Comes at a Cost

It all comes at a cost. You have to give up something to get something. This notion of giving up something is well summarised by Dr T. Sowell when he wrote, "Life does not give us choices; it gives us options that we must trade-off." We can't have it all. The question is, are you willing to pay the price for your chosen option(s). This incites me to write a quote I heard from guys who heard it from other guys; it's true, though, it goes, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes". Unfortunately, the stupid prizes come at a huge cost (effort, time, and probably cash). Maybe I got old too young, but it is like the opium of the youth, "TikTok", are the dopamine spikes of good feelings worth the time we expended on the app?

It is a new year, 2023AD. We all have goals we want to achieve in the next 12 months. Even if they are unscripted, we have them at the back of our minds. Some plans are scripted and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound). To achieve our goals, we have to give up something(s), whether we are aware of it or not. We have to change our Lifestyles. A concern is probably that we don't know how much what we want is going to take from us. For example, I know that to get an Engineering degree in record time usually cost a social (relationship) life. I know this from experience. 

There's a saying in Xitsonga that goes like "N'hwarhi mbirhi yinwe yi ta tshwa nkaga." meaning if one tries to do more than one thing at the same time, one might not prosper. You cannot serve two masters because you will make one happy and disappoint the other. This is trade-offs; my ancestor's understood the dangers of taking on too much. Unfortunately, today we behave like we are spoilt for choice, forgetting the consequential responsibilities.

In the 3rd world, global south, developing countries, or whichever racist term you prefer, it's either you go to school and get a degree, or stay poor, or become homeless. I like how Warren Buffett says if he was born in a 3rd world country, he wouldn't have made it the way he did in the US. It is funny how people with degrees often tell others how degrees are useless, forgetting that they are where they are because of a degree. An undergraduate degree is very very important to avoid complete poverty. Behind every child's smile in the 3rd world is a man or woman who's enslaved, including corporate slavery. Let's be frank, we all feel the good old ball and chain every weekday, 1 second after waking up. Here I'm trying to show that a lack of education can cost you dearly and that there's a cost behind every smile. Even peace has a cost associated with it. Who's actually paying for South Africa's peace at the expense of justice? Take a moment to think about this. 

There are no shortcuts, and one cannot derisk the system completely. Even if you take shortcuts, you will only pay a heavy (Principal amount plus interest charged) later in life. Try going back to school after 30 with all the social responsibilities. The cost in terms of time sacrifice and other sacrifices is huge, exponential.

Our brains are self-serving statistical numbers-crunching machines trying to maximize the reward-to-cost ratio. Numbers do not lie, but in analyzing the reward-to-cost ratio, our brains often get it wrong. Our brains are bad at calculating risk-rewards mainly due to the lizard brain elements. For instance, how did you make a car-buying decision? Did you research and test drive all the hatchbacks in the market before you settled on the one you have? The answer is probably No. It's a costly process which we avoid by watching car review shows forgetting that no one is in business to lose money.

Looking at this reward-cost ratio thing, I wonder if people can find themselves in a situation that we may consider unlivable for the sake of rewards. I know I'm crossing the line now, but here it is, why do people stay in abusive relationships? Is it a cost-benefit analysis kind of thing? For instance, if he/she leaves, he/she loses financial safety and suffers reputational damage? Do people perform this analysis and conclude that they rather suffer the cost of psychological and physical bruises than lose all the other benefits of staying? I agree; it's very unfortunate and complicated. Let's raise young boys that lack oneitis and excessive obsession with other people. Yes, it is more complicated than this. On another note, I think the best revenge served cold is an opportunity cost. Better, if married, is to use his/her pension money (which he/she does not have access to) to invest in inflicting the opportunity cost.

In summary, whatever we want will come at a cost, and the cost usually grows exponentially with age.