1. Personal Finance
Had some good commentary on the Cost of Starbucks last week - you can read that issue here.
As it follows, I've been thinking more about how companies are winning, and people are losing. And so we have:
The Lion vs Gazelle
Gazelles (people) are fun. They enjoy life, and they just love to eat grass all day.
Then a Lion (a company) comes along and offers them a new type of grass. It looks so delicious they just have to eat it. It is the exact same grass, just in a different fancy new package.
One Gazelle spends all their money on this "new" grass. Then it tells it’s friends to buy the grass, and they spend all their money, too!
You see, Lions may seem nice (Lion King anyone?), but they are excellent hunters.
When a Lion smells a Gazelle nearby, the Lion goes into hunting mode (internet cookies, social media algorithms).
Mufasa to Simba: “shhh…we’re going to mind trick these Gazelles to pay top dollar for our “new” grass.”
And ultimately, the Lion eats Gazelle (wins their money).
The Lions are winning: Taylor Swift is winning, Apple is winning, the Kardashians are winning. And the Gazelle's are losing!
The moral of the story is, we all live in the 'Pride Lands', and we are part of the Circle of Life called the free market. The good thing is, unlike most animals, we have the ability to choose what animal we want to be: Lion or Gazelle.
And by the way, I'm all for a good amount of consumption. I like to go to the movies, go on trips, etc. But, take some time to think about your spending patterns. And if they are making a real difference in your life. Or if it's nothing more than food for the Lions.
Don't be a Gazelle. Be a Lion. No Sea Gazelle. Sea Leon 🦁
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