P: Good morning, Economist
E: Good morning, Photographer.
P: Why do we go for a walk every morning?
E: I love the continuity.
P: I love the change.
E: What change?
P: Every conversation changes me. I'm getting a little wiser. Hopefully. In any case, I'm never the same afterwards as I was before.
E: Change through continuity, interesting.
P: It is known from psychology that if we want to be stable in our personality, we have to embrace change. Because life always means change. We are born to change as we grow up. We fell in love. We're breaking up. We get sick. Hopefully healthy again. We're having children. They leave our common home. We lose our closest friends. If people want to lead a contented and fulfilling life, they always have to get used to new conditions, adapt to new situations, make the best of them, shape their lives.
E: I see. But persistence forces are strong. When we get used to something, we want it to stay that way forever.
P: But there is no forever.
E: By the way, it's similar to the economy. The forces of perseverance are gigantic. For example, the car industry in Germany that we talked about yesterday. I suspect that many Germans believe our country can't prosper without the automotive industry.
P: That would mean if people used other forms of mobility, or at least different vehicles, than those offered by German companies, Germany would become a poor country.
E: That would be the consequence. And, of course, anyone who thinks like that is afraid of change. Like in our personal lives, prosperity for a society can only be maintained if we all are willing to change. Nobody knows whether cars will still be produced in Germany in two decades. But if we set the economic rules to allow and reward change, we can be confident that we will prosper – with or without car production.
P: Now you're probably going to start talking about the basic principles of the social market economy.
E: Only if you want to hear it.
< silence >
E: Well, then another time. Have a nice day, Photographer.
P: Have a nice day, Economist.
……..🚶🏼♂️…🚶🏻
Why do Strolling Economist and Accidental Photographer take daily walks? Check out here for more. – By the way, sometimes they go their own ways, the economist here, the photographer there.