Contrarian Inc

Homogeneous group-think puzzles, amuses, and ultimately amazes me.

Silver blue rivers of thought that cut through shopping stores...

"If you just 10 dollars more you can get another sweater for free!"

Thing is, even though your 'sale' makes financial sense, it doesn't hold personal value for ME, because I don't WANT another sweater. I don't have room for it physically in the closet at home, or mentally in my mind's fitting room, which is on any day overwhelmed with what I can or cannot wear. I still don't get the brown-black thing.

...connects video rentals

"one dollar more, and you can get a third movie. You're paying $9 dollars now, $10 bucks you'll have a whole nother movie to watch. Here, just hang here, I'll even go pick one out for you"

Thing is, there is more value in me 'losing' money by not taking your deal, than by making a financial 'gain' by taking it. See, I only want two movies. Not one, not three. I won't have time for the third, and if I make time for the third it will be eating into time I should be doing something else. I'll be making a financial 'gain' while 'losing' some of my time, which is worth more to me than the $$ at stake.

...deltas into other thought areas.

What this comes down to is that people in this stream - where $$ savings are the most important thing, that trump everything else, are simply not able to see a contrary view.

Maybe that's why I like leaving quarters that are 'my' change from a can of pop. I love the idea of anonymously leaving a little 'yahoo' for somebody in the change slot or in the machine itself. Trivially small gesture, but might be worth a half a smile. But on top of that, it flaunts conventional thought "that's your hard earned money, take it and put it away, set a good example for your kids".

Same thing with maybe not asking for $100 back that you lent to somebody. The thought of NOT asking for it back is anathema to most people. And there are rock solid lessons in fiscal responsibility that would say you're mad, if not just irresponsible and stupid to not go after that money. Well, maybe I have more value in 'losing' that $100 than in re'gaining' it.

The point here is that the rational doesn't always make sense.

This happens in relationships all the time. Person A doing something that rationally doesn't make sense, but makes them happy just the same.

I guess the conclusion here is that by stepping back from the issue at hand, outside of rational and irrational, there is a non-rational (neither rational or irrational but NON-rational or NOT-rational) that sometimes, in context, makes the most sense of all.

namaste