Hi there! The first month of 2023 is close to an end and with it, as mentioned in an earlier newsletter, presumably, so have most of the New Year’s resolutions. However, today, I want to talk about consumption and production, but before we start ..

Weekly Inventory Check:

Were you steadfast in holding your resolutions this year? Write down your thoughts and feelings and reiterate them to help you continue keeping your resolutions or start doing them if you haven’t already. Remember, there is no judgment. We all fail or slacken, but what is important is how fast we get back on track.

To Consume or To Produce, that is the question

As humans, we all have an innate need to stay stimulated. We all indulge in many activities, such as watching shows or movies, using social media, reading books, listening to music, etc. All of these are acts of consuming, some passive and others active. Having said that it is safe to comment that the majority of us lie on the consumption side.

On the other hand, making content, actively reaching out to friends and family, having conversations, using books to make different connections and use our imagination, dancing, exercising, etc. are all acts of producing.

The issue, however, lies in creating a balance. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am an active advocate of balance. Consequently, I believe balance needs to exist in this debate of producing versus consuming as-well. Currently, there are consumers (people who watch TikToks), and there are producers (people who make these Tiktoks). Consumers consume with no end, and producers continue to produce without much thought; this is where the issue exists. Individuals on both sides of the spectrum have no measure and sense of a healthy balance. Take Tiktok, for example: more than half of the videos you’ll come across are just an ongoing trend that everyone is replicating to get views. This is what I am concerned about; I watch TikToks, and regularly scroll through Instagram, and thus I am of course doing what I’m accusing others of doing. So, this is a lesson for me too.

What I take from the quote above is the need for balance. If there is no balance then it is coming at the expense of something, what Vandana calls "Violence." Intent should be the goal. In economics and in life, it is a good goal to have. We should consume consciously; consuming inherently isn’t bad, we consume food, clothes, shelter etc. However, consuming too much of anything even food, is bad for you. Same goes for producing too much, as I mentioned above.

I would like to see a world where we aren't endlessly scrolling or just posting videos for the sake of it because we "like" the attention we get or to convince the algorithm that we matter. We should do everything with intent, the intention to add or take value from this activity. Producing is great; it helps you learn and it generates value for others around you. Consuming is also important, books, great movies or an amazing live concert are what give life meaning. But both should come with a balance and not at the expense of anything else in your life.

Do you agree or disagree? Shoot me an email. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Want More?

Yaron Brooks talks about how producing is hard and consuming is easy. (I would disregard his welfare comment because that is not something I would like to promote)

An Argument can be made for producing more and consuming less.

Read of the Week

In the spirit of Intent, I would like to recommend a different book this time. The Alignment Problem talks about the current AI landscape and how we are ill-equipped to deal with the ongoing problems. We are not clear about what we want from all the AI we are creating. This ties in well with today's topic because the machine learning world is facing its own version of a producing problem. Technology is being churned out without a thought of what the consequence of all this production is.

Thoughts to Leave you With

AAs with everything, this isn't black or white either and that is the essence of this newsletter. We want to talk about the nuance that seems to be missing. If there is one thing to takeaway from today, it is to be mindful of your activities. I do not want you to feel guilty for scrolling or posting daily. I just want you to be honest with yourself and really question if this is what gives you positive energy. If it does, then it important and if not, then maybe it is about time to make an effort to bring balance to your life.