I’m not a big fan of competition. I’m talking specifically about two types of competition we hear about often The first type of competition is within the construct of capitalism. People are constantly referring to how competition ‘regulates markets’ and ‘prevents monopolies’. I guess in this economic sense competition is SUPPOSED to do these things. In theory? From where I sit the market looks more like it is dominated by one or two giant companies…
Competition is supposed to be helpful in regulating markets to give the consumer the best value, price, and quality. Does it? It sure doesn’t seem like it to me. Here I suggest it’s up to US (like so many things) to regulate economies by purchasing quality items and not fall for the aggressive marketing I talked about in Episode 5: Marketing and Solicitation. In ecology, competition leads to speciation and biodiversity through darwinian mechanisms. In…
Aren’t you sick of advertising? Especially the ads that make no sense. How about when you can’t even tell what the product is? When I owned a brewery I saw a lot of ‘guerrilla’ advertising. Like bikini babes partying and drinking a certain beer. Wow, if I drink that beer will the bikini babes show up? Or even silly things like talking frogs. . . . On the one hand, a successful business needs to…
All I hear lately is that mindfulness meditation is the magic cure all for human problems like anxiety, depression, and being ‘too busy’ or stressed out all the time. And I believe it. But for whatever reason, it’s hard for me to make the time to meditate. It’s kind of like exercise. I know it’s good for me, but I can’t seem to find the time to do it. One explanation I have found is…
Nothing frustrates me more than seeing people taking advantage of ‘the rules’, or finding a loophole in ‘the system’ to gain an advantage over me or others. You certainly can think of examples in your own life. At the same time, if other people are going to do it, why can’t I? I want an advantage, too? Following up on ‘the rules’ discussion in Episode 2, why should we play by the rules instead of…
Are we islands? What responsibility do we have to participate in our communities? During the COVID social distancing period, how do we define ‘essential’? Is there a continuum of behaviors that are acceptable? What do we ‘owe’ ourselves and our communities and how does that affect our behavior? I consider myself very independent and unique, but I will follow the rules when they seem critical. When is a rule critical? What are your thoughts about…