1%

Black Friday strikes me as a strange confection - a celebration of nothing more than an urge to spend, with no purpose in sight other than to get retailers beyond their breakeven point (The term derives from the point they have covered costs for the year, and here on in is profit)
As never before we are defined by asymmetry. We are moving from the traditional Pareto of 80/20 to many areas of 99/1. From sports stars to wealth. Those who have receive, only moreso.,
Whilst on the face of it this seems grossly unfair, I don't think that's where the unfairness lies. If we were all able to use our talents to the full, we would all be in the 1% within our own field. For some, that may be money, for others, skills, and for many, happiness.
Instead, events like black Friday encourage us to play by other's rules. Nassim Nicholas Taleb talks about "anti fragility" - a state where we can grow stronger when unexpected events occur.
Playing to other's rules - playing to the tunes of marketers, retaile…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Outside the Walls to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.