Human behaviors will reach extremes they inflate and have similar effects to inflation in the economy. One other way to consider extreme behaviors is to liken them to drinking salty water.
The post alerts the readers to the fact that extreme behaviors only lead to worse extreme behaviors.
Inflation when reaches extremely of high rates leads to the stagnation of the economy. Inflation results from the greed to buy items for which there is no real need. The rush to buy inflates the prices and the resultant loss of purchasing power.
Inflation of greed is similar. The greed for making profits leads to rashness and ignoring risks. This may result not only in losing the invested capital but also in wealth.
Extreme greed leads to extreme rashness and the loss of what one has.
Drinking Salty Habits
Extremes are like drinking salty water. To get rid of all the excess salt taken in by drinking seawater, you have to urinate more water than you drank. Eventually, you die of dehydration even as you become thirstier.
What happens in real life is that people tend to drink more salty water. A bad habit of drinking may start with a small dose. If this habit continues regularly, the one glass will not suffice to give the same level of satisfaction one had before. Therefore, one glass a day becomes two glasses and this continues until addiction.
Instead of removing the salty habit, we drink more of it.
Beware of small habits that can take your life to the edge of chaos because they tend to inflate. Inflation robs your money but inflation of small bad habits can rob you of your life.
Remember extremes generate extremes.
- Extreme desires generate greed.
- Extreme courage generates rashness
- Extreme hunger results in eating rapidly and unhealthily
- Extreme feelings of fear and anxiety can lead to social withdrawal
- Extreme dieting may produce counter effects by gaining weight. Often these individuals may go through an emotional state such as depression, which leads to consuming more foods than they usually would. This is known as the yo-yo effect.
The message I hope is clear. Avoid falling into extreme behaviors. They are full of harm.
Interesting argument, congratulations Professor.
Extreme behavior of any kind is based on an imbalance of needs, or rather, on a maladaptive balance when it comes to investing resources to satisfy them.
Studies with workaholics, Internet addicts or political extremists prove it.
Simple or common habits can lead to extreme behaviors.
Totally agree with you, Aldo
We call them small steps or simple habits or whatever; yet their combined effect is terrific