People look at things in very different ways. We all have our own rose colored glasses that affect how we view the world and 2 people seeing the exact same thing can easily come to 2 completely different conclusions. This is a matter of interpretation.
Sometimes it’s difficult for people to see through their rose colored glasses to see what actually works, and what doesn’t work. For example, thinking that you can jump off the empire state building and go up instead of down…that won’t work, and will soon make those rose colored glasses very, very red. A little less extreme…say you leave LA planning to drive to NYC, and your rose colored glasses say it will be fun to just “wing it” and you drive west. Does this work or does the Pacific get in your way? Looking at the journey through rose colored glasses doesn’t render reality.
Many people require something along the lines of a scoreboard to have a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Say you and I are on opposing teams in the sport of your imagination, and we are about to compete. We both brag about our teams being better than the other, but how is that possible when you beat me 10 fold every time? Do I have credibility to make this argument?
Those of you that read my blog regularly know that my entrepreneurial spirit resides in my DNA. I am a capitalist (knowing it is not perfect) all the way, and my rose colored glasses see that this system provides choice and freedom for every individual to be and accomplish whatever they choose. Many people choose not to use this freedom to their advantage, but the option is there no less.
Looking at it from the other end of the spectrum, without my rose colored glasses; we have a communist system that spends its time planning how to control access to goods and services and pays people to tell you what you can or can’t do with your life. They have their own rose colored glasses, which show them that it’s better for everyone to be the same, save a few elite.
Take away the glasses and look at the scoreboard. You have the US economy’s total output at 14.5 Trillion, compared to 1.5 Trillion for Russia. That is nearly 10 times more. This debate has ensued for 60 years, despite what the numbers on the board show. Most of our poor still have a much higher standard of living than the majority of Russia’s citizens, who are all the same. Their citizens are deprived at the cost of being the same and eliminating classes.
When deciding what works and what doesn’t, it’s only relevant to what you are trying to accomplish. Do you want a high standard of living for everyone, a choice of products, higher profits, and freedom to pursue your own entrepreneurial spirit?