Asking the right questions in critical thinking

 The right questions are the most important source of critical thinking. Doing them and/or doing them in the right order is more important than getting the right answers to the wrong questions. Let's take one example of such a pair of questions:

• How can I do this more effectively?

• Does this need to be done at all?
  
  

We don’t have to ask the first question at all if the answer to the second question is no. If the answer to the second question is yes, we should also ask ourselves the first question. The right questions will radically reduce our waste. We only get great answers with great questions. We need to set aside time to ask great questions because their benefits can be invaluable. By getting the right answers to the wrong questions, we are creating an opportunity for a great catastrophe for ourselves. In the long run, a chain reaction could result in a major disaster after asking the wrong questions.

Most of the questions we ask are wrong. They lead to wrong conclusions. The question is almost always more important than the answer. For example, when we do science, we ask questions for which we have no prior knowledge of the answers. Surprising breakthroughs can result. The benefits of the right questions then become irreplaceable. The right questions simplify things. To get the right answers, we need to keep our questions simple because our brain capacity is limited. Here are a couple of question pairs where the first question is wrong and the second is correct:

• Why do I spend so much effort on this client?

• Do I need this customer at all?

• Why do politicians have to raise taxes all the time?

• How can I pay less taxes?
  
  
  

Asking the right questions is difficult, but they bring great benefits. In less is more philosophy, one question transcends all others:

What are some of the critical things we can do to make all of these things either easier or unnecessary?

We need to go through the anatomy of this question carefully:

Point 1. What are some of the critical things we can do. The most important word in this paragraph is can. This is a possible action. We can’t put a word in a conditional form, as we could, we would, we should do. Doing always wins the intention.

Step 2. To make them by doing. This point means doing the purposeful thing. That doesn’t mean we do things for the sake of doing it. Finding purposefulness requires in-depth thinking, because by doing one thing, other things are not done.

Point 3. other things become either easier or unnecessary. This means that our critical issues yield such great benefits that it becomes easier to reach our goals as other things become easier or unnecessary. Most of us don’t realize how much we cannot do to achieve something significant.

Asking the right questions saves time for the most important things and tasks. I hope you find this text useful.

-TT

Critical thinking

The importance of critical thinking increases as the amount of information increases. The result is a difficulty in thinking critically. We should not directly think of the text of any book as such. Instead, we need to think about how well the text is true. We work on instinct most of the time. It works well most of the time. We need to think more about important things. The role of critical thinking is emphasized. There are many obstacles in its way and their impact can go beyond making sensible decisions. Critical thinking means examining things and our careful reflection on their various aspects. This requires us to ask the right questions. Critical thinking is a competitive advantage today. Many current university degrees do little to encourage this. What, why, how, etc. are questions we should be asking all the time to think critically.

The increase in modern day´s stress, workload, and amount of information affects our ability to think critically. Improving critical thinking includes prioritizing, maximizing the utilization of our working memory, and informational flexibility. We have a lot to consider. Resolving priorities makes it easier for us to focus on the essentials. When there is too many things to consider, things are handled at half capacity and the outputs are decreased. We constantly have to increase the use of our working memory and we need to focus better despite the disruptions. Informative flexibility means that we are able to change our patterns of behavior according to the situation and the facts.

Critical thinking has changed recently and its demands on us have grown. Ways to get information have changed. That’s why it’s good to think about how our environment affects us. Today, the pursuit of propaganda and self-interest by influencing the information fed to others is constantly increasing. Anyone can publish their own opinions and their own facts. Our criticism of the source must be intensified. We need to think more about the publisher’s intentions. Google doesn’t always bring out the facts. Our life situations change faster and adapting to a new situation may require a new reflection on the facts, displacing the old facts. Finding out the essentials requires more of our thinking. The exploitation of our critical thinking suffers from many obstacles. They can cause errors in our rational thinking that lead to wrong conclusions

One of our most common mistakes is our natural way of focusing on sources that support our own views rather than trying to think things from different perspectives. Blaming others for our own mistakes and focusing on the mistakes of others instead of looking in mirror. The other mistake is our belief in authority which means that we do not question the facts of someone because we consider him or her infallible. This can apply to our family members, bosses, and politicians. Our pride can also be an obstacle to critical thinking because we find it hard to admit that we don’t know all the facts. Following a herd can also lead to distorted thinking.

We can develop our critical thinking and our brain capacity. There are many ways. Some of them seem self-evident. By questioning our assumptions and examining the information from many perspectives, we get to think more critically. However, we cannot examine too many perspectives, because this can paralyze our thinking into too many perspectives.

We can interpret things differently. We should not just hang out in one way that suits us. We need to learn to think differently. One way is to do things between them out of the ordinary. This helps us to outline different perspectives. We must always think that we are also wrong. We should also ask ourselves “what do we not know?” Self-development and honesty in our skills also help improve our thinking.

Let’s set aside time for critical thinking so we can respond to an ever-faster world. Even the wisest of us are sometimes wrong. The better we accept this fact, the better our critical thinking develops. It will become increasingly important in the future. While critical thinking may seem like an increasing burden to us, it becomes a habit of avoiding unnecessary deeds and thinking of unnecessary things. As a result, we will have more time in the future.

Critical thinking helps when you have to separate the useful facts, actions, opinions, behaviors from the less useful ones and the waste from brilliance . In other words, less is more thinking requires critical thinking.

-TT

Less Is More Thinking is non-linear

Less is more thinking is non-linear. It means that using small investments in it brings great benefits. It increases the time used for thinking, but it creates benefits for our lives. It is important for us to be able to think about things that are important and interesting to us. People are individuals. We cannot do everything as others do, producing fun and benefits for both ourselves and our environment. The core idea is that only a small portion of our efforts yield us most of our benefits. Ratios vary by subject. The number can be 80/20 or even 99/1. 20% of the products can generate 80% of the company's sales. An even number is just a number. Actual ratios can be as high as 50/1 or 97/20. The latter could mean that 20% of authors sell 97% of books in the United States. Radical fluctuations are due to the non-linearities of life and the world. This is important in social outcomes.

The difference is very large, which means that by exploiting the great effects, we can maximize the power of small things. We should start by thinking about the small core issues, those that produce the greatest benefits in relation to their size. After that, we can reduce our workload by focusing only on core issues, or we can try to keep our workload the same by increasing their share, thus increasing our benefits. We must not just focus on them. It is equally important to get rid of harmful things from our lives. The less is more principle also works in terms of negative effects. A small part of our lives produce the biggest negative effects. Eliminating them is difficult. We need to pay close attention to those efforts.

Focusing on core issues and eliminating unnecessary things requires constant thinking. We can’t avoid it if we want to get more out of our lives. Detecting them requires independent action and the use of your own thinking. On average, we are wrong all the time, even in important things. This is done by following the herd. It is sometimes right, but not nearly always. Cause-effect relationships are key. Often the consequences are considered to be the causes, even if they are not. For example, when one muscle is sore, the pain may radiate to another that is treated without failure. Pain is usually corrected with an analgesic that takes away the pain but does not eliminate the problem. The most important thing to think about is to find the main cause that will be put in order and through it we will get great benefit with less effort. We do not have to solve all our problems at once, but we can think of those that will bring the greatest benefits.

This way of thinking is much different from how we often see things as linear, that is, one by one. A small portion of actions will always be of the greatest value to us and others. We need to think about which action produces the most value. It is not found in mediocrity but under a deeper layer. We need to think new and get under the surface. The surface is our way of thinking linearly and traveling with the herd. Focusing on the same insignificances as the others, we create the same outcomes. To quote Mark Twain, “When you find yourself doing or thinking like the majority, it’s time to stop and think again.” For us, the best way to get to the highest value is to create a mindset where we often reject the opinions of the majority. They include dominant states of mind, consensus thinking, traditional wisdom, and easy answers. These obscure the reality from us, that is, the things that bring the greatest benefits. Giving up mediocre wisdom brings great benefits, but it is difficult. Changing our thinking is the hardest thing for us because it is hard for us to admit to ourselves that we are wrong.

The Minimum Effective Dose (MED)

The term means the minimum dose required to achieve a wanted result. We can use it in almost everything. We should not focus on increasing investment, but focus on taking into account the unnecessary consumption of energy after certain amounts. The balance of benefits and harms must be maximized to get the best results. It is achieved with the Minimum Effective Dose. In medicine, the term is used to prescribe as little medication as possible because they cause side effects that can be worse than the ailments for which medications are prescribed. The minimum dose is not just a useful term for individuals. It is suitable for larger crowds. For example, we should only clean enough of our house for the person who needs cleaning the most. If it were done according to another amount, the consequences would be too great and the benefits non-existent. We can use the minimum dose in almost all walks of life. It is worth sacrificing a lot of our thinking to take advantage of it.

It is easier for us to give up or reduce things. This way of improving our lives reduces mental burden. Giving up reduces the wrong kind of stress and makes things easier. Giving up everything is not the best solution. Therefore, a minimum dose is the best option. Cause-effect relationships are important when thinking about the minimum dose, because everything has good and bad effects. Cleaning improves cleanliness and reduces the number of bacteria. The negative effect is the time spent.

The usefulness of the term is not a simple matter. We are so different that the same rules do not apply to everyone. We need to find out our own resilience. We can only do it by experimenting. It may take time to experiment, but it is worth the time. We can use some stimulants too, like coffee. Testing the right amount is done by drinking different amounts of coffee a day, observing your own reactions. For myself, the optimal amount is two cups a day. At this level, my level of alertness is at its best. A larger amount causes mild restlessness. A smaller amount does not have enough good effects. By enjoying two cups a day, I get the best night’s sleep relative to the level of alertness of the day.

The Minimum Effective Dose also applies to social epidemics. It describes the number of people to get the epidemic spread around. In other words, the MED means enough people to reach the tipping point in social epidemics. Some businesses require the MED of money to finance successful investments, etc.

-TT

Key Concepts part 4. The conditions in which social epidemic spreads

 The hardest thing for us is to internalize the importance of the environment and conditions in spreading the message. One reason is our inability to perceive abstract things. We react more to the changes of others than to the changes of the surrounding reality. We believe our decision-making ability is better than it actually is. The role of the environment and its conditions in getting an epidemic across the tipping point is as great as the infectivity of individuals and the message. Epidemics are sensitive to changing circumstances when it is time for them to spread. The emergence of epidemics does not require major changes. Even the small ones are enough. Usually, the urge to change beneath the surface is released with the help of small changes.

Our behavior can be modified by creating the conditions for the spread of epidemics. Zero tolerance for drunkenness can reduce the mild effects of alcohol. In the 1980´s, transportation authorities tested the New York subway for zero tolerance for pumping and other minor offenses. With it, they succeeded in significantly reducing even large-scale crimes in the subways. Not all small changes automatically result in large ones. In addition to small changes in the environment, epidemics are best spread through small and dense communities. As communities, we are vulnerable to the ideas and the peer pressure. The latter may play a critical role in the spread of the epidemic.

Gradually, we can form close groups with the help of a certain ideology. Through them, the spread of the epidemic is accelerating. The ideal size for small dense groups is a maximum of 150 people, according to anthropologist Robin Dunbar. He has studied other primates as well. We have the largest capacity and that is due to the size of the frontal lobe of our brain. This is bigger than our classmates. According to Dunbar's research, the border runs in a group size of about 150 people. Larger groups form cup municipalities and disagreements. By this logic, the best results in business would come in units of about 150 people.

The idea of a tipping point can be summed up in one brevity: As we try to change our behavior and cause an epidemic, it is important for us to get those people to spread our message that it is good to get others on their side, knowing a lot of people. In addition, it’s important for us to get the message done so remember that it grabs easily and makes us act. In addition, it is important for us to succeed in reshaping our environment with small changes so that the epidemic can cross its climax, after which it will start to accelerate.

Key concepts part 3 Sticky messages

Infectious messages are universal and have stood the test of time. We can call them sticky. They have similarities. In the following paragraphs, I will explain how we can take our messages better. An infectious message needs to be understood, remembered, and effectively changed in opinions and behavior. Infectious messages have more than one of the following characteristics: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotional, and are usually told as stories. (You can read more about these characteristics from Dan and Chip Heath´s book Made to Stick.) 

Simplicity


A simple message contains an easy-to-understand royal idea around which the message is based. We find the core for stripping our message to its core. We do the stripping by removing many ideas from the message and letting the main thing shine. It is about our limitations to receive information. The more we are able to compress the information into a concise message, the better our message will stick. Our message must also be relevant. One way to make a message concise is to use the information that the recipient can already find. It’s easy to succeed in creating a short and concise message, but it’s hard to create a profound purpose in the same package.

Unexpectmess

We must ask ourselves whether the audience will be surprised after they receive our message. We have to deliver something the audience do not expect. We must focus on the unique characteristics of our message. We must tell the audience something they have no idea about. If we tell a story, we must make sure its end is completely different than most stories about the same thing or have a completely different conclusion.

Concreteness


If we can sense things with our senses, they are concrete. Concrete language helps us to understand concepts. The language used by many experts is full of ambiguous concepts that we do not understand. Specific things are easier to remember and that is why we should use concrete terms. One of the best concrete tools is photography. Images and sounds connected to the message makes it more concrete.


Credibility


We get to fight for the credibility of our messages with the beliefs, prejudices and social pressures of the recipients. There are several ways we can improve the credibility of our messages. Good and bad examples are some of them. Precise details also work to increase our credibility. The details are intended to support the core of our idea. We may also use statistics to support the post. When using them, they must be presented in a way that is comprehensible to the recipients.


Emotionality


Relying on our feelings is a good solution because it encourages us to act. We need to appeal to the feelings that the recipients of our message already have and connect them to our message that they don’t care about yet. After all, the most important thing for us is our personality. If we are able to combine the creation of emotions with our own interests, we will achieve the best result. Everyone usually asks themselves first, “How do I benefit from this?” Admittedly, this may not be a conscious choice. A message combined with our personality also brings results.


Story form


The stories work in two ways. They mimic reality and motivate us to act. These things create action. Mental simulation works because we were not created to imagine events without the action of the brain blocks that function in the actual doing. Mental simulations help in emotion management, problem solving, and visualization of the future. Stories realize abstract things. They inspire us to implement our ideas. They often help us get over old habits and presuppositions. They are concrete and for the most part they have both unexpected and credible elements.

The stickiness of our ideas has many enemies, such as losing too much information at the core, focusing more on presenting our ideas than on content, paralyzing decision-making, and too much the curse of knowledge, the power of presuppositions. When we have a good idea in mind, we can use a checklist for stickiness:

• Is it all about the core message? (Simplicity)

• Does it attract attention? (Surprise)

• Does the audience understand and remember it? (Concreteness)

• Is the audience able to identify or believe the idea? (Credibility)

• Do people care about the message? (Emotionality)

• Can people act on it? (Story form)

Messages do not need all characteristics to be sticky. Some of them are necessary. 

Key concepts part 2 The tipping point, the significant few

 The moment after which there is no return to the social epidemic, i.e. the situation after which the pace of change begins to accelerate on its own, is the tipping point. The point is also familiar from virus epidemics. The virus spreads when the spread reaches a rate that cannot be limited. It is moving forward at such a rapid pace that there is no choice but to worry about the consequences. Scientists can also call this point, the critical mass. Before you get to the point, things look linear and after that the pace of change is fast. The point also applies to commercial trends, the spread of new technology, and anything that changes rapidly like a virus. Sudden change in the concept is the core issue. Much of people’s behavior is contagious, whether it’s buying behavior, voting, or anything else. Even small things can cause an epidemic. Epidemics have three parts:

• People spreading the epidemic

• The epidemic or its message itself

• The environment and conditions under which epidemics spreads

The significant few

Throughout world history, there have been people who have had a greater impact on others than others. They spread epidemics faster than others. Sometimes they have been in more prominent roles and sometimes they have been under the surface. In these cases, a lot also depends on whether a particular person is in the right place at the right time. Being in the right place at the right time is not enough if a person does not have social gifts. Few influencers are united by social gifts. They form epidemics effectively. If you want to sell something or influence others then I would recommend persuading them to your side. People who influence the opinions and actions of others can be divided into three different types:

• Connectors

• Experts

• Salesmen

The most important condition for connectors is to know a lot of people. They all know. They have innate abilities to get to know others. They are important not only because they know a lot of people but also because of who they know. Many word-of-mouth epidemics materialize when they spread the message to those who influence the opinions of others. The more complex the message is, the harder it is for these people to create a critical mass for the message. Connectors also matter more when the message has already spread.

Connectors are not the only human type that affects others. In addition to them, there is a need for sources of information that are not always the same people as the connectors. Data sources are called experts. They naturally become acquainted with new things and pass on new information. Representatives of this type of person are always ready to correct misinformation. They not only collect information but also share it immediately. These people are the ones who most often find new information to spread.

Salesmen are the third initiators of epidemics. Many have heard the saying “could sell ice to Eskimos”. This describes salesmen. There is something extra about them that makes them agree with them. They are convincing in what they do no matter what. Salesmen are adept at justifying their case. Charisma cannot be bought in a store. Salesmen can find it. Charisma can arise from small gestures that are invisible to outsiders, such as nodding your head. Small gestures are more important than verbal output. The main reason for the persuasiveness of salesmen is not these little gestures but their timing in the right rhythm with the other party. In addition to their gestures, they are able to regulate their volume and speech rate according to the other party. This is an innate ability.

Connectors, experts, and salesmen are individuals who know how to convert desired messages into formats that make them spread. The messages do not need to be changed much but small changes can cause the desired reactions. In the case of some connectors, the above types combine and their influence increases.

Key Concepts, part 1.

 

Degrees of freedom

Degrees of freedom mean e.g. in science, the amount of variables that are not directly dependent. If we think of vehicles, then the train on the rails has one degree of freedom. It only gets forward and backward. Cars have two degrees of freedom. In addition to the previous directions, they also move in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise. Planes have three degrees of freedom because they move up and down in addition to the previous directions. Some industrial robots have up to six degrees of freedom or more.

An employee who receives his income from one employer has one degree of freedom. We can increase the degree of economic freedom in different ways. The number of degrees of freedom applies not only to movement or economic matters, but also to many others. If we control more things, we can increase our freedom. The usefulness of increasing the number of degrees of freedom does not directly mean that more is more. Often one degree of freedom is too little and four too much. The more degrees of freedom, the more deeds, time and money are needed to exploit them. Our systems are also becoming more complex as we increase the degrees.

Couplings/Connections

Couplingss mean the interdependence of things. The world is not very dependent on one person except perhaps the heads of state of the nuclear powers. We can have both tight and loose couplings. Most often, the truth is found somewhere between them. A tight coupling can be found between the steering wheel and the front tires. A connection between them is necessary. The front wheels can also move forward or backward by putting the Reverse on and depressing the throttle or forward without reversing. Tight couplings break more easily than loose ones. As they break down, the whole system breaks down. As the size of the system grows and the connections become tighter, it will sooner or later lead to problems. At the same time, the probability of the entire system breaking down increases. When the tight system breaks down, it is more difficult to keep the damage small and it is more difficult to limit it. Repairing some parts will result in greater damage and worse collapse in the long run. Minor repairs can dramatically speed up system crashes.


Examples of tight links include large banks that are too big to fail because it would lead to the collapse of the current debt-based system. An example of a loose connection is a person whose expenses are much lower than their income, because then the loss of income does not immediately lead to disaster. The problem with loose connections is that we have to compromise on efficiency because not all resources will be used. One of the biggest problems in today’s world is too tight connections. Especially through the internet, most things are interconnected. Today, most investors can be connected, no matter where they are in the world. Almost everyone can buy shares of the same companies through their brokers.

Linearity

A linear system is one in which the input impulse affects the result without feedback. The result does not affect the result of the next impulse in any way. Such a system is very predictable, but by no means particularly effective. A linear system of a fixed-rate bank account because you have a fixed and predictable interest rate that does not change. A fixed rate bank account is not very efficient because it is independent of changes in interest rates during the savings period.

In a nonlinear system, the input pulse also affects the outcome of the next input pulse, changing the system. The outcomes of such systems are difficult to predict. This is because the dependencies of inputs and outputs are not easy to assess as the systems change all the time. The world and its events are mostly non-linear. This is the reason why less is more, the principle works in most of the things we face.

short introduction about the philosophy part 2.

 Thinking

The purpose of the mindset is to get people to create activities that will greatly improve their lives by separating the few important things from the useless. Conscious consideration of one’s own actions is important, but unfortunately it is not easy. The mindset is not linear or fast but slow and thoughtful compared to “Get everything fast” thinking. Traditional thinking is different from this method and cannot be used in the same way. Above all, this way of thinking makes a person act differently than what society considers wise. One of its purposes is to enjoy life and leave out things that people don’t enjoy. Everyone's life is made enjoyable. Less is more philosophy is meant to maximize enjoyment by reducing time from doing things people do not care about.

The best way to think about modern society is shaped in the film Fight Club, in which the character Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, describes the modern world as follows: “An entire generation refueling, serving at tables, slaves in white collars. Advertising makes them chase cars and clothes, do jobs they hate so they can buy junk we don’t need. To be able to impress people they do not like. ” We have such a terrible amount of useless load in the form of both goods and use of time that we don’t even realize it.

Doing less gets more done

A small part of the making produces a large portion of the results and the smallest portion of the making produces most of the problems. These principles work in both private and corporate life. People do not have the ability to be good at everything. Everyone’s talents are different. Focusing on a few core areas will accomplish much more than trying to do everything possible. People have dozens of things to do at a time, and the biggest benefit comes from focusing on a few tasks that are at their most effective. People are able to do few things at once 100%, which means that many actions produce nothing but wasted effort.

Time is the most valuable commodity

The Western conception of time is distorted and misleading. It says that there is not enough time for anything. This is largely an illusion and not based on reality. Less is more thinking questions this perception and greatly improves efficiency. This requires an open mind and a willingness to question one’s own perceptions of one’s use of time. Time Management is a big business and is based on doing small things a little faster and more systematically, meaning saving expensive minutes or less time all day long. This is due in part to a Protestant work ethic that emphasizes long working days and tireless work. Freeing people from unnecessary waste of time reduces their stress. Less is more is a philosophy focused on improving lives by investing in shorter working days, doing only the things that really need to be done and not increasing the workload.

Well-being does not require great deeds or great wealth

Our well-being is not about big things. We need to keep in mind that in order to do well, we need to think about times when things have been very good or bad. In order to do better, we should increase the number of good times and reduce the number of bad ones. We need to do more of the things we enjoy and reduce those we feel uncomfortable with. If these things come up, people might want to think about how they can increase their comfort. We have a good opportunity today to shape our lives in a happier direction and we must seize our opportunity.

Short introduction for Less Is More

 I would be lying if I claimed to have invented less is more principle before others. The fact is that the same things have been valid throughout history. The first pioneer is Vilfredo Pareto from Italy, who found that 20% of Italians owned 80% of the land. The Pareto 20/80 principle also worked on other things. The exact ratio is not the most important thing but it is the dominance of minority compared to the majority. According to Pareto, the ratio did not only apply to Italy but to other countries in different eras. After Pareto, Harward Professor George K. Zipf next discovered the same phenomenon. His version of it was that a small portion of all resources organized themselves so that 20 to 30 percent of the resources corresponded to 70 to 80 percent of the results.

The American engineer Joseph Juran, who was behind the quality revolution after Zipf, used the principle so that the most of the quality defects came from a small number of sources. Juran also used a ratio of 20/80 which was not entirely accurate but a bit towards that. There was no interest in the United States, so Juran left for Japan, where he was taken seriously.

Less Is More philosophy as a starting point

Less is more is not just a way to make money more efficiently in retirement or make better use of time. It is a holistic philosophy that produces well-being. This is largely due to the fact that human life does not flow smoothly. Both bad and good events accumulate over certain periods of time. Certain events affect more than others. In practice, the relationship between these is unbalanced. People are happiest for a little while in their lives. This also applies to accidents. It is possible to add the happiest times by thinking about own life and trying to identify happy moments. Once identified, you need to think about how to add them.

Many of the things people do out of either compassion or habit cancause an accumulation of nausea. Other things are important to many and produce maximum benefits. These things cannot be identified but must be defined by everyone. For many, doing the wrong job out of a duty to society, their parents, or their family can lead to moments when everything goes under the bench. The amount of work is also not directly proportional to the results. A person is most productive in less time than it takes to visit the workplace. Even then, it’s better to do fewer things at the same time as productivity drops by focusing on too many tasks.

Interpersonal relationships, goods, and money

The impact of others on one's own well-being varies. Not all friendships should be maintained. Relationships can only be one-way. Only one person gets well and the other suffers. Everyone should think about what is best for themselves, draw conclusions from it and act on it. You can also think about this from the perspective of another and think about whether the relationship itself is a hanging stone. It is better to focus on smaller and deeper relationships than on more and more superficial ones. You are, to the greatest extent possible, the sum of your relationships. A few of your closest people have the biggest impact on life.

The amount of goods is absurd for modern people. Many of us buy a lot of stuff that we don’t need. I have calculated that I own hundreds of goods. I don’t think I’m a very clumsy buyer if I compare myself to others. Few hundred goods are the amount that people mostly need. Most of them are not used all the time. Less is more thinking means that it is pointless to buy two shoes for fifty euros when you can buy one good quality one hundred euros instead. More expensive shoes are likely to last longer and are more comfortable than cheaper ones.