| December 29, 2003 Uniformed buyers I pity you --We’ve all been there. We’ve all done it, and I’m not claiming here to be immune to it. We’ve all played the fool, the sucker, or had our chain pulled at some point or another when it came to buying a product. But for goodness sake I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned my lesson. I can’t recall a specific instance I ever got bamboozled in, but I do know it doesn’t feel good in retrospect. Well then why do I still come across people, even peers, even elders, who seem to apparently not mind playing the part of the uninformed buyer? It’s a little dumbfounding and almost frustrating. Take this supposed “deal” for example. At first glance to the uninformed buyer this looks like a regular joe “deal” (as Circuit City call it.....riiight). But anyone that knows anything about video games knows this is the biggest farce of a deal out there. First of all, both games are less than mediocre (you can only play so many iterations of Tetris...no offense Alexey Pajitnov {the creator of Tetris}) and the Star Wars game pretty much sucks. Ad to the fact that these two games are being wrongfully sold as a combo separate from the original combo pack they were a part of (XBox for $179 with these games packed in). So here some ignorant stupid parents see this “deal” and jumps all over it because they and little Johnny are none the wiser. They sink $100 into two crappy games worth maybe $35 collectively and they don’t even get an XBox. Can you say “lollipop”? No, I mean “sucker”? Circuit Crappy makes off with about $80 profit on this lie and the old NASDAQ strikes another point up for capitalism.... You know why I get mad at suckers? It’s because I’d say about 85-90% of the time their sucka-tation could’ve been avoided with some semblance of intellectual pursuit. All mommy and daddy had to do, even with the most elementary knowledge of video games, was type in at least something like “video games” in a Google search. They would’ve been presented with a myriad of gaming website choices, many of whom knowledgably review such games, and they would’ve learned to avoid Tetris Worlds and Star Wars Clone Wars like the last Brittany Spears album. Time to educate themselves? Maybe 10-15 minutes at most. So therein lies the underlying crux, we humans are so stinking lazy, we don’t mind being suckered apparently. I’m going to boast here, but not in the “boasting for no gain” sort of way. I’m boasting more in logic and tried and true approaches to things like product purchasing. I recently bought a car. I knew I always liked this type of car, but I didn’t know much about them. So, being an inquisitive human being that we all were made to be about things we don’t much about yet but want to learn and realize osmosis ain’t gonna work, I took to the internet to research this type of car. It’s an older type of car garnering even more precaution and information preparation. I found out various things like what the price range for these cars are, what common problems are, things to look for when buying, how to deal with a private seller, etc. As a result of my automotive edumacation, I was able to purchase the car I was looking for, at a reasonable price, and with pure confidence in its past glory and future ability. Pats on the back for Keith! My point here isn’t to gloat about how freaking cool and fast and good-handling my car is, it’s to point out that a little legwork here and a little intellectual horsepower there, you can go into something you previously had no experience or knowledge with and come out completely satisfied or even in my case, overly satisfied (have you ever taken a BMW M3 to 8000 revolutions per minute!?!?....pure bliss). And newsflash, it doesn’t take a college degree or certification to do many things most people feel unqualified to do! Here’s another example... I work in a computer server room where I work. There’s many computers in there and other various electronic equipment such as faxes and printers. Anyways, the fax machine seems to be the lead culprit in giving users problems. I don’t use the fax machine often so I’m not accustomed to its nuisances. But because I sit close to the fax machine, because I do have some advanced general computer knowledge, and because I usually look like I know what I’m doing, invariably when someone has a problem with the fax machine they’ll ask me what’s up. While I usually have no problem helping my fellow man and woman with common computer problems I can’t help but get upset at this person for automatically assuming I’m The Fax Machine Guru. Sure, I might know how to do a couple things, but I’m no expert I tell them. The thing that irks me the most is not so much the wrong assumptions that I can help them in every electrical problem they have but the fact that the fax machine users manual lies not four inches from the fax machine. This 90-page manual can tell any user anything they ever need to know about using this fax machine. But ergo my aforementioned point! We’re lazy intellectuals. But I don’t want to read the manual. What a cop out! The few problems I have had with the fax machine have be easily resolved with a couple minutes edumacting myself by reading the manual four inches from the machine. But the common man and woman seem to be adverse to the idea of edumacting themselves on some discipline other then what they’re college or masters degree delineates. It’s like “Oh, I have an MBA; I can’t learn how to set up my internet connection.” or like, “Oh, I’m just a secretary, I can’t troubleshoot. I’m not good with computers.” Huh!? You mean to tell me you have no ability to adapt and evolve intellectually to tackle a problem in your path? Sheesh, that’s sad and I want to know who hired you because they should be fired too. Sure IT (Information Technology) guys are hired to do just that and help users, but I’ve seen too many fellow employees refuse to exercise their brain concerning the most elementary of computer problems and they take up the valuable time of the IT guy who now has to fix the neophyte’s computer while they should be setting up a server database. Ok sorry, as you can see computer related stuff really irritates me (I also realize all of us aren’t computer-gifted as some might be. All I’m asking is for a little bit of effort. All I’m asking is not giving up even before you’ve tried.). But my point is appropriate for all disciplines of science, technology, culinary arts, etc., anything. I don’t know whether people don’t have any self-confidence or what, but it’s like once they’re out of school they feel like that can’t “learn” anymore. People, shouldn’t our whole lives be a pursuit of knowledge and truth and understanding? I mean it shouldn’t matter whether we’re in a classroom or not (although I consider the universe our classroom), we can still learn and edumacate ourselves! You have a plumbing problem? Sure if you don’t have the time you need to get a professional in there, but maybe a couple minutes on the internet or a book will teach you how to fix it and save you $250. Need an oil change? Do it yourself! Not only is it very easy for almost every car, it’s very fulfilling, and it’s fun. Not comprehending your biologist-friend’s conversation last night at dinner? Well maybe crack open your old biology books from college and get up to speed on the basics. I don’t know, maybe I’m just fighting a war that doesn’t exist but it just seems to me so many people have already thrown in the intellectual towel. Hey, I don’t even have a college degree and I’m 24, but my pursuit of knowledge has continued since I left the conformist college. In fact, I’d say ever since I left the formal classroom, my motivation to further my understanding of the world around me has increased (maybe cause now I’m doing out of innate desire instead of obligation). Maybe that’s just me and other people aren’t built like that, I don’t know. I just feel a lot of people set themselves up for a lot of heartache because they’re too lazy to do some research or study. I’m not saying everyone has to start a personal 8-week course on astrophysics and the effects of starlight on stellar redshifts, but I am saying people, even people that aren’t technically or logic inclined, can spend a couple hours, even minutes, reading a book or searching the internet for info that is applicable to a situation they’re in. Not only will they expand their knowledge, they’ll have to mental tools to deal with the situation a lot better. People, evolution does exist in its literal meaning. It is simply by definition “a process of gradual development; change taking place through time”. And though no evidence of naturalistic or physical evolution of humans has been discovered or observed (utterly slamming the door shut for a Darwinian evolution model or naturalistic creation model), I believe we are very capable and designed for intellectual evolution (please don’t confuse my belief in our capability of intellectual evolution with our inability for spiritual and social righteous evolution apart from the Holy Spirit (aka God/Father/Jesus). No man/women can become righteous or good through his or her own acts of will or intellect. We have only the capacity for failure, sin, and damnation). I think we’re designed to change the way we look at things and understand things through an honest and pure approach to learning and discovery. I think we were created with a mind that looks up at the sky and wonders “What’s up there?” I believe we were created with a mind that quietly thinks “Where did we come from, why am I here, where are we going?” We’re by nature inquisitive beings and I embrace that curiosity. Because with the proper motivation and with pure goals, we can live a life much more abundant than we are today. The only question is are you are a continually seeking, searching, and learning being or have you just accepted yourself as an intellectual stagnate? Ok, so I’ve turned an economic tips article into a full-fledged philosophical dissertation, but I think you get the gist of my comments. It’s a character trait I think we’re all born with to some extent but that some of us, whether by the environment we grow up in or something, suppress that inquisitive nature and zeal for learning mentality. So yes, a little extra credit assignments here and there can greatly benefit you in practical things such as buying a car, buying jewelry, or buying the latest Playstation game, but it can also have long-lasting soulish benefits also. It helps you know you’re alive; the desire to learn for the sake of learning, to seek truth for the sake of seeking Truth. And just like Plato said, “I think, therefore I am”. That in itself declares we humans are His greatest creation of all; because if we don’t think, then we aren’t. |