Friends,
If I were to give you my Rocky Mountain National Park
landscape print by Ansel Adams, you'd be a work-of-art richer and I'd be a wall
decoration poorer. Common sense, right? Yet, every day that print hangs on my
wall it becomes less novel and delivers slightly less enjoyment to me. On the
other hand, in gifting it to you, I gain your priceless reaction and your
gratitude. Furthermore, your relative enjoyment of the photo would surely be
greater than mine (due to the novelty) and I would still get to keep my
memories of that print. It seems to me that act of giving generates greater
utility across both the giver and the receiver than would clinging to my
precious possession. I suppose that's why they say it's better to give than to
receive. It's so simple, yet that's not how we behave at all. We work so hard
to grow our collection of material goods -and take them for granted the minute
we acquire them- as our rainy day fund approaches great flood preparedness
status. This morning, I'm taking a personal day to go on a hike and ponder this
conundrum, so, Kelly Crosby has kindly agreed to purvey donuts for the office.
And while you enjoy them, I'd like you to also enjoy a photo of my view. Granted,
I'm no Ansel Adams, still, they say it's the thought that counts.
Happy
Friday!
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