Monday 4th, 2022
Is it Monday? Yes.
It has taken a while, my mind has been on overtime. Overthinking everything that has come its way. There has been many things floating around the endless stream of consciousness, a small collection of those thoughts follow below.
L
e
e - 1. Value
e - 2. Wagyu
e - 3. Fuck you Perspective
e
s
GooooooooooooOOOOO
Número 1
I’ve been trying to put things into perspective and doing my best to understand the value things hold. Like my laptop I’m using to write this. What value does it have? It cost around 3k. Was it worth it? Maybe. It’s my tool to make a living. So, yes? I would probably pay another 3k to upgrade. But what’s the real value of my laptop? What does it truly provide me? It is a tool, as I just mentioned. Does it give me the freedom to explore? Thanks to the internet, it does. Does my laptop have value without the internet? Yes. The apps I use daily to work, can be used without the internet. They allow me to design more, and more precise, than any designer pre personal-computing-times. So we can say that my laptop allows to be what I want.
There is a multitude of things computers can do without the internet. The internet adds extra value on top. So what is value? What gives something more or less value? What value does a Nokia 3310 hold if I want to use WhatsApp? It’s pretty much useless. But if I took the same phone and, say, want to remove all distractions my current smartphone provides, it’s going to be much more valuable.
Does context make an object more valuable? Looking at the statement above, it seems like it. Depening on how I to use the object, its worth rises. Can the same be said about the intangible? The non-physical? The values of a person? How does a person’s values hold value to what others value? A friend of mine values free-time over anything, but what value does that bring to the table? For them it could be an escape from their day-to-day. For the people around them it could be a chance to hang out. For me? What value does their valuable free-time bring me? An exciting story about what they did with that time? Sometimes. It could also be a fountain of inspiration for this newsletter.
Someone somewhere once said:
"Life is like a box of chocolate"
So, have I reached a conclusion? Is value created by the way we see things? Everything has value, it depends on the angle it's viewed from.
Número 2
Sticking with valuable things. A5 Japanese Wagyu beef. If we take a piece and add white truffle to it, should the value of both items shoot up? Does it turn into an even more expensive piece of meat? I want to try it. Let me know if you’d like to donate towards this. Then again, wouldn’t the truffle ruin the experience of the A5 Japanese Wagyu? I want to taste the beef in all its glory. Surely the truffle will take away from the experience? I’d at least want to eat two pieces of the Wagyu before adding the truffle to it.
The quality of ingredients is the most important part of cooking. Their freshness makes the quality even higher. Fresh in-season tomatoes with a sprinkle of salt and a dash of high quality extra virgin olive-oil is a fine example. If you’ve ever had the honour of trying this, and I hope you have, you will understand. If you haven’t, I suggest you do whatever you can to try this. Take a flight to Spain and find someone growing tomatoes. Beg them to give you one of their finest tomato, buy some extra virgin olive oil, take it to your hotel and enjoy.
So, tomato with a bit of salt is amazing. Add oil to the party, and you have a winner. Does the same happen with Wagyu + white truffle? MOST PROBABLY, YES. I had to search the internet and one of the first things I found was this. $689.99. Not bad. It’s funny how something so simple can cost so much. Its perceived value is high. Is it worth it? I want to say no. I don’t think I’ll ever pay that much for something that I could potentially mess up. Would I pay a restaurant that much to make it for me? Yes.
Everything is perspective.
Número 3
The way we perceive things can result in varied outcomes. I see a white football shirt, I see shit. What is shit? The team with the white shirt. The opposite occurs for supporters of the white team. But everyone knows Tottenham are shit. Except them lot. They see themselves as the best. The same goes for countries. Some countries see others as "Rogue States". Those same “Rogue States” see certain countries as the root of all evil. Whatever part of the land you look at something from, you will see it from a new perspective.
If I took a can of coke and looked at it from every possible angle, would I still like it? The addict in me says yes. The rational health-conscious person hidden deep inside me says no. When I say angle I don’t mean 360º, I mean its chemical composition. Its ingredients. The people who make it. The advertising behind it. Everything. And after seeing all of the angles I would probably end up hating everything about coke. But the addict won’t let me.
Perspective can shine new light on things, but can it change opinions? This is the real question we need to answer. We all know about sweatshops, yet we still buy the items made in sweatshops. From what perspective would we start changing our purchasing habits? Is a tomato a vegetable or a fruit? A fruit, but you won’t see it in a fruit salad any time soon. What does this all mean? That being a fruit means you can’t be in a fruit salad? You can put it in a fruit salad. No one is stopping you. So why don’t we stop ourselves from purchasing the goods made in sweatshops?
🤔
We’re too addicted to let go. I will end this here. Bye.