Often things
seem so clear to us but we are wrong. Sometimes surprisingly so.
We gladly
plop down a few bucks, occasionally many bucks, for lottery tickets and think
there is a reasonable chance that we will win. But that chance is fleetingly
slim, so much so as to fade into shimmering invisibility. A million to one. Ten
million to one. Five hundred million to one. But a nearly sure thing, like a
very long-term regular investment in a 401K retirement account, doesn’t appeal.
A friend, the owner of a convenience store, relates anonymous accounts of customers
who spend hundreds of dollars a month on the lottery. To them, that is their
retirement plan. Hopes of hitting the big one.
We follow
all sort of odd diets with mixed success and poor long-term results, because the
experts’ recommendations (National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control,
Harvard Health, and so on) just seem so quotidian and lack the snazzy social
media seal of approval. We eschew carbohydrates without discriminating between high
and low-quality carbs. We overload on meat protein because the typical American
serving size is big enough to feed any three people. We consume enough sugar to
sink a battleship and enough alcohol to refloat it. And then we sit on our
generous behinds, persist in our physical idleness, and wonder why our weight
remains stubbornly high. It’s not rocket science.
We wonder
how Facebook can treat us, their customers, so shabbily. And while we glory in our
belief that Facebook is free, we ignore the ancient dictum that there’s no such
thing as a free lunch. Which leads us eventually to the realization that we are
not Facebook’s customers. We are its product, neatly catalogued and packaged
and sold to advertisers and marketers and pollsters. The same is true of any “free”
service such as Google or Twitter or Gmail or Instagram, to each of whom we are
only a slick product.
And then
there is the media, the cable and broadcast and print behemoths in which we
invest our trust. The cracks begin to show when we see a live action reporter
struggling against the seemingly gale-force winds of a hurricane, only to spot a
couple of teenagers strolling nonchalantly by in the background. We begin to
question, are there any other exaggerations or distortions? Slowly, we begin to
understand that, here also, we are just a product being delivered to advertisers.
And that the key objective of the media is not to inform, but to keep our eyes glued
to the screen through the next commercial message. What chumps we are.
Speaking of
chumps, we are barraged by a constant variety of telephone and mail and email scams.
The attackers are ingenious and constantly changing and refining their
approach. “This is the IRS. A recent audit has revealed that you owe $10,000 in
additional taxes. If you do not pay immediately, your driver’s license will be
suspended.” Or, “This is your grandson. I am in terrible trouble. Please don’t
tell my parents. I need $5,000 immediately to be released from jail.” And so on. These people are vicious
sociopaths.
Is there
anything we can do in defense?
You darn
well betcha there is. The first thing is to become far more skeptical. Skeptical
of huge payoffs. Skeptical of profit-making diet plans. Skeptical of free
stuff. Skeptical of the media. Skeptical of demands for money. This doesn’t
mean becoming hard-hearted, just more discerning and careful.
Next is to
inform yourself. Numeracy is vital. Take an adult continuing education course
in statistics and probability. And another one in finance. Become more aware of
how the world works.
Widen your
sources of information. Read several newspapers. Browse many websites. Watch
many news channels. Expand your mind.
None of this
is a guarantee. But if we all exerted a bit of extra effort, we would find
ourselves more in control of our destinies, and more comfortable in our skins.
But all this
aside, don’t forget to count your blessings. The beauty of an early sunrise. The
joy of gamboling squirrels and chirping birds. The joy of blooming flowers.
Life is a balance.
Live it empowered.
No comments:
Post a Comment