Short-Term Self-Interests Are Being Pursued to a Degree That it is Threatening to Our Long-Term Self-Interest
Every day I see examples of how our pursuit of short-term self-interest is being taken to such an extreme that it is threatening our long-term self-interest.
For example, yesterday I read this article which explains how the wanton dumping of trash in the ocean is ruining the ocean. This will most likely continue and the trash won’t be cleaned up because the cost of cleanup is immense. That uncivilized behavior is only one of a number of ways that we are treating the ocean as our toilet that we are also over-fishing in. This is being done to such an extent that it won't be long before the ocean will become polluted and barren, thus threatening our civilization. It’s tragic because the ocean would flourish and support us if we took just a bit more care and put a bit more money into its care (such as throwing trash in bins and using biodegradable containers).
The same is true for how we treat the environment as a whole and how we treat each other. In other words, it seems to me that we are behaving in an uncivilized, unsustainable manner that pushes the pursuit of short-term self-interest to such an extreme that it is threatening to our civilization—and, that if we dialed the degree we pursue our short-term self-interest back just a notch to invest a tiny bit more effort and money to take care of others and the environment, it would be in our long-term self-interest.
In dealing with each other, it would take only a small share of the income of those who have a lot to provide a lot of missing basics for education, civilized conditions, and job opportunities, which would reduce crime, incarceration rates, health problems, and the risks of social revolution. That is because the incomes of those at the top are so large relative to the incomes and expenses of the majority of people. To get a tiny taste of what our society is not providing in just one of these areas, education, go to donorschoose.org and see what teachers are requesting that they don't have to educate our children. More broadly, as shown in my examination of the conditions of the bottom 60pct of our population, there is reason to argue that capitalism is not working for the majority of people, which threatens the existence of capitalism.
By the way, I said that to a number of my fellow capitalists at Davos and, interestingly, almost all of them agreed with me. We also agreed that almost nothing is being done about this, so the risks of social conflict occurring when the next economic downturn comes along are significant.
These are just a couple of examples of a) how our extreme and not well thought-out pursuit of self-interest is causing unacceptable risks to what we cherish and b) how, if people dialed back their pursuit of short term self-interest and gave a tiny bit more effort and money to taking better care of each other and the environment, it would be in our long-term self-interest. I believe that such civilized behavior will help protect our civilization while uncivilized behavior will threaten it.
I'm wondering, do you by and large agree with me? If we agree on the problem, we can then move on to explore what might be done to reduce or eliminate it.
P.S. Btw, as far as principles are concerned, what I’m talking about here is the common mistake of overweighing near-term first-order consequences relative to longer-term second- and third- order consequences.
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6 年Ray Dalio 1- It's undeniable your A) A brilliant mind & B) A long term thinker and strategist. However ... 2- 85->90+% of the world ?? isn't born into the privilege of being A) & B) In fact most retail investors and even Wall Street itself opine and hyper focus on just the next quarter. --- When was the last time a large macro hedge fund operator lived paycheck to paycheck or saw Wall Street from the lens of a quarter by quarter basis? It might help empathize and understand why a large % of the world is short term thinkers. How can capitalists find a way to empathize with the short term thinkers of today and their dilemma and then work from there for a solution?
Blockchain + Ecology - Investor.
6 年We are fooled to believe in miracle technological solutions to this fundamental problem. The answer is a change of mindset / attitude towards caring for the environment and for each other. How to achieve this? It will require a change in the organisation of society, with old/ new ideas such as creating obligatory civic service by the youth, who can be educated and learn to serve the environment,planting trees etc... And using the Military to enforce the protection of the environment. The chinese government wouldnt hesitate to implement such long term measures. why not start today?
This song hits the same message through music... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gTA50oayGk
CEO at AMARAPPAN
7 年ANDY TRANPORT POWER PLANT TECHNOLOGY GHGeR 25 BnTYr automotive, rail, ship, jet, missile, rocket. power plant. no engine, no fuel, no GHGe, no heat. GHGe: 120 ppm Catapult Renewable Energy 1.23 mn lb/sft Water Jet Thrust, from 6000 m sea water depth on hydro-tatic gravitational force of 6000 t/sqm. 600 kg/sqcm. stored in pressure vessel and used at land, sea level for all transports and power plant.[pelton turbine]. Investment 120 bn$ in 12 units spread accross Atlantic, Indian, Pacific oceans at 4 units each. PAT 240 bn$/yr in 4 yr. No tax for mid-sea sale. .... Transport Power CBM = hp*hr/20 m 3 Sky Power CBM = ton*km/12 m 3 Power Plant Power CBM = 64*MW*hr m 3 .... Buiness transaction is tabulated below : vehicle ton speed HP hour CBM fareC/km Cost$ Net$ Roi% Car 2 200 80 1 4 10 10,000 100,800 1008 Bus 15 200 200 1 10 1 75,000 400,000 533 Rail* 1000 150 1500 4 300 1 15mn 15.12mn 101 Train* 1000 600 6000 1 300 1 30mn 60.48mn 202 Ferry 1000 660knt 1000 5 250 1 3mn 121mn 4032 Cont’r 250 teu 330knt 2000 10 1000 40 10mn 302mn 3020 VLCC 50,000 330knt 20,000 10 10,000 2 100mn 3020mn 3020 Sky Jet 100 1200 20,000 5 5000 2.5 15mn 30.24mn 201 Sea Jet 100 3600 300 5 75 2 5mn 72.5mn 1450 Lmissile 10 6mach 12,000 1 600 2t pl 10mn -- -- Cmissile 10 6mach 100 1 5 2t pl 2mn -- -- Smissile 10 6mach 12,000 1 600 2t pl 10mn -- -- Rocket 120 30mach 360,000 1 18,000 20 t pl 120mn -- -- Muthukal Andy Appan, M.E, 50 yrs. Expert, Chennai. India. [email protected], ..... Stops Solar, Wind, Coal, Oil, Gas, Nuke, Geothermal Energy Sources for free renewable energy at sea: 6000t/sqm at 6000m depth contained in Pressure Vessel is utilised at NTP. Catapult Energy: 1.23 mn lbs/sft THRUST Jet Alternate Renewable Energy. No GHGe. 24/365 Zero GHGe in Transport, Power Plant design. No climate change on no engine, no fuel, no-GHGe. Transport, CBM = HP*Hr/22 m3 Global GHG Emission is 36 bnt/yr GHG Emissions Reduction is 25 BnT/yr Net Global GHG Emission is 11 bnt/yr. 30 % Global GHGe :120 ppm for 400 ppm automotive, rail, ship, jet, missile, rocket,p.plant. Saves 14,410 Bn$/yr by Parts, Fuel. auto demo : 1 mn$, 1 yr. all demo 500 mn$, 2 yrs INV 100 mn$ get back 200 mn$ in 2 yrs INV 1000 mn$ get back 2000 mn$ in 3 yrs INV 120 bn$.ROI=500%.PAT=240bn$/yr in 4 yrs 12 plants at Atlantic, Indian, Pacific Oceans Muthukal Andy Appan, M.E, 50 yrs Expert, India. .... GLOBAL WARMING. GHGe 120 ppm ANDY TECHNOLOGY. TRANSPORT, POWER PLANT. NO CARBON. GHGeR: 25 BnT/Yr. GLOBAL GHGe= 120 ppm Automotive, Rail, Ship, Jet, Missile, Rocket. Elec. Power Plant is by Pelton Water Turbine as Hydro Plant. No Carbon, No GHGe, No Engine, No Fuel, No Co2e, No Heat. Global Warmig is by Heat Emission not by Co2e, a health hazard. Heat emitters are Sun, Nuke, Geothermal, Valcano, War, Fire, Heat engines, domestic, industrial heating. PV solar is dead on heat. CSP solar, Nature, Iceberg are heat absorbers. Co2 carries heat and emit. Heat can be produced, builtup, utilized, converted to energy, used by nature. Heat can never be destroyed. Transport power, CBM=hp*hr/20m3. Power Plant power CBM=64*MW*hr m3 INV. 120 Bn$. PAT: 240 Bn$/Yr in 4 Yrs. No tax on mid-sea sale Muthukal Andy Appan, M.E, 50 yrs Expert, Chennai. India.