Wealth and Status Games...

We all go through life with certain assumptions, certain frameworks, a predefined understanding of what we feel is right and what isn't...

Now this essay should have a nerd alert..there's gonna be many weird things all of us may not agree on and that is the point..this is a different lens to look at the world..a lens that personally made me more happy and peaceful.

It is based on the famous concept of game theory, which you can search on youtube for a deeper understanding, I highly recommend we should all learn game theory in schools, its the basis of human behaviour, if all of us understand this, there's no stopping all of us from becoming wealthy!..now that u have reached here and are not back to staking ur crush on Instagram.. let's do this!

So here goes, the concept of wealth and status!

Now, until a few months ago, I used to believe that in this world, if I wanna get rich, someone else has to become poor, like the math seemed simple right? if I earn 100rs, then someone else must have become poor by that amount, I believed this and I think some of you do too, that for one person to become rich, someone else becomes poor...then I realized how false that assumption was..so then came the concept of zero-sum and positive-sum games!

What are these...? simply put, when someone gains something, anything and it leads to another person losing by the same amount ( not necessarily money, could be anything valuable)these are called zero-sum gains, you win these by dragging other people down. ..like..poker or gambling or a seat in JEE/NEET/CAT/CLAT/IPMAT ( and whatever Sharma Ji's ladka is excelling at), if one person gains, the other person has to lose it! These zero-sum games are called STATUS games!

Then we look at the other side, positive some games, in the earlier case, someone had to lose for someone else to gain, positive-sum games are opposite, they mean working together so that both parties benefit. An example could be running a business, for you to earn some money or gain something, your customer also has to gain something as a result, something in return, a good, a service or anything else..if you try to learn from a successful person instead of criticising him or her, you also gain and so does he/she, nobody loses, and both of you keep inspiring others to built wealth as well! see? everybody gains!

Positive-sum game, in game theory, a term that refers to situations in which the total of gains and losses is greater than zero. A positive sum occurs when resources are somehow increased and an approach is formulated in which the desires and needs of all concerned are satisfied.

Soo..back to the 1st question, when I get rich, is someone else becoming poor ?..in most cases... NOPE! when you create something, when you build Something, all the people who are a part of it gain, nobody loses! imagine ur in a road trip and you see a fruit vendor selling berries..you paid him 10rs for a packet, you got something which u value more than Rs 10, and the person got 10rs which is more valuable than the berries to him, both parties gained, nobody lost.

Now here comes the concept of wealth and status... wealth games, the games of building things, selling stuff, helping people are positive-sum, like appreciating a successful person and learning from them so that he/she shares what got them there. If people rant and criticize instead, which stops successful people from sharing their knowledge..who loses? you!

In wealth games, people come together to benefit more than they could've if they were alone, and status being a negative-sum game, in these games someone has to be dragged down for someone else to climb up!

Now wealth games lead to happiness, peace and money in the long run...and status games lead to anger, frustration, chaos and regret! that kid in ur class trying to build a team to make an awesome project?..wealth game..the other kid trying to become a topper and wanting others to be below him/her..status game!

here's a quote by millionaire entrepreneur Naval ravikant.

The reason you want wealth is because it buys you your freedom. So, you don’t have to wear a tie like a collar around your neck. So, you don’t have to wake up at 7:00 AM, and rush to work, and sit in commute traffic. So, you don’t have to waste away your entire life grinding all your productive hours away into a soulless job that doesn’t fulfill you.

You trying to keep ur followers more than ur following? status game.., some person complimenting you about how good your hair looks today..wealth game!