One Apple A Day #22
It strikes me perceive the value things. We see the world how we are and not as it is. I was talking with a friend the other day. He told me how expensive was to have his teeth fixed. Very expensive. But it’s about the quality of life, you can’t go cheap on these things. It’s an investment. Right.
On the same conversation we talked about a course that the school offered to his son. Two months abroad to improve his English skills. It’s also an opportunity to have a first taste of the big connect world on which we all live. I thought that it was a no brain decision. Those are the type of experiences that can boost and inspire the life of a teenager. The problem is that this course is expensive. And this is when things get confusing.
The course is 20 times cheaper that the dental’s work he’s going to have.
When did it happen? Why the money spent for the future of our children are a cost while the ones spent on our teeth are an investment?
Depending on our values either we focus on the value or we look only at the costs. This is understandable. Not everyone has the same values so we make different choices. There is also another factor affecting our choices. It’s the proximity of the results. It’s easier to see the value of something if it’s close and measurable. What we find hard is to dream big, to go for the distance instead of the instant gratification. Your teeth are painful, the results are immediate and easy to understand. We are ready to give an awful amount of money to our dentist. Your daily eating habits have long term effect that you can’t see so it’s hard to perceive the value. A studying experience abroad for your son may generate some values in the long term for him. Nothing measurable in short term for the parents.
This is why a lot of time is easier to spend money for entertainment but it’s hard to invest in education.