⚘Branch thought from The invisible value lurking in our consuming choices
Table of Contents
Calculating value by default: our subconscious double-entry bookkeeping processes
How can one calculate whether something is worth spending resources on, while still unravelling the mystery of what is truly valuable for us?
The first important distinction is that the basic instrument for value calculation is the double-entry system: we list all our expenses, on one side our debits and on the other our credits.
In purely pragmatic terms —simple to follow in daily practice— we decide whether to spend money on something by estimating how much value we are getting from it.
In this elemental case, the operation is simple: on the left side, we list what we “lose”, which is the price of the thing. On the right, we list what we “gain”. For example: what do we gain by buying a particular pair of sneakers?
But these constitute a mere layer of the real streams of value that flow through our decisions. On the “loss” side, we can also think about the time spent making our decision, looking up the best deal possible for that product, or the energy consumed stressing over whether we should spend so much on this, and so on.
The same goes for what we “gain”. By default, and due to how modern culture conditions us to think, we normally evaluate the following default forms of value: functionality, durability, comfort, brand recognition, the product’s belonging to a larger coherent symbolic framework such as a “trend”, the emotional replenishment and possibilities that the perceived status it brings would supposedly bring, the object’s resale value, and so on. These conventional forms of value are often viewed as enough to calculate the “gain” side.
Conscious consumption: learning to quantify subjective value
I believe that conscious consumption happens when we introduce our own value parameters into this ledger, and we somehow manage to accurately (or at least functionally enough) quantify that value —that is, we can assign a number to it so we can include it in our calculation.
Once we do this, we simply compare the final results by subtracting the total “loss” column on the left from the total “gain” column on the right. What do we value? And how much do we value it? Eventually, we learn to calibrate these notions by comparing the value we initially calculated (and the grounds on which we based that calculation) with the value that we experienced over time after the decision.
Of course, the ultimate purpose is to multiply our levels of agency, not just in how we “consciously consume” (which is a fundamental competence when constantly surrounded with an extravagant amount of choices), but more broadly in how we regulate these streams of value to flow in and out of our lives.
When it comes to value calculation, the material thing involved in a transaction is only one among a much larger number of variables. These other variables gain relevance proportional to the degree to which this person is in touch with the essence of who they are, and how they consciously choose what to do with this human existence they’ve been given.
Thus, the larger part of these variables are invisible. Some may be by far the most valuable, but remain so difficult to articulate, that they often go by unnoticed, their extraordinary value only revealing itself in hindsight, as if it was a magical event (e.g., a life-changing revelation can be one, or an emancipation from an emotional burden that one might have been going through). Some of these variables may relate to something essential within oneself, still not wholly uncovered; others might be contingent, embraced under the wing of a larger framework of action —for instance, a project— where the acquired object or service only holds value insofar as it contributes towards the completion of a larger project.
Other invisible variables include saved emotional energy in making this decision versus others (i.e., the opportunity cost), saved time, gained self-assurance, opened social doors, long-term benefits, and so on. These are widely understood but ultimately secondary, as they only scratch the surface of what other factors can be valuable to an individual.
A true personal theory of value can only emerge from discovery
I invite anyone to develop their own theory of value for themselves by building up on these simple considerations. A great burden of indecision and wasted resources on expenditures that bring only fleeting moments of satisfaction will be lifted off their shoulders.
Precision is not essential, leave that to the science of accountancy. This theory is rudimentary because its priorities are of a qualitative, not quantitative, nature. Its aims are discovery, explorations, the broadening of possibilities, and the expansion of our perception of the world around us —specially by saving a great deal of attentional energy that would otherwise be spent considering “just in case” kinds of value, mostly rooted in the shaky testimonials of mass approval, variety for variety’s sake, “new and more is always better”, fear of being left behind, becoming “irrelevant”, and the implied idea that long-term yet virtually aimless utility is better than risking finding an aim first.
In this way, we are also building rock solid foundations from which to make decisions from here onward.
Ironically, this ledger I am describing thrives on imprecision. When the gains involve such invaluable personal progress, numerical imprecisions are simply secondary. Isn’t that emancipating?
✵
Leave a Reply