Search This Blog

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Day Scarcity Kissed Generosity

Beetlejuice with Chia Seeds_01of03
Beetlejuice with Chia Seeds_01of03 (Photo credit: Food Thinkers)




In previous blogs I have made mention about the value of networking as well as the law of scarcity.....when the value perceived value of an object increases as its availability decreases. I made mention that here in South America, things like salmon, foreign books, electronics have a new level of appreciation here seeing as the gov't has put heavy import restrictions and taxes on these type of items.

But the law of scarcity works backwards too in that if I were to say the word "Chia", what would come to your mind is the exotic seed eaten by the Aztecs to prolong health and vitality. Chia is that thing that you people in North America pay big shipping expenses for. Whereas here, the name "chia" is that plant that is grown locally and accidentally spilling some chia seeds on the ground is no problem because you can just walk down to any open air market or store and get a couple hundreds gram for a few dollars. The law of scarcity has nothing to do with actual value, it is about perceived value.


One of life's greatest secrets to success is that the law of scarcity and networking go hand in hand. There are far more benefits to choosing to live with someone and sacrificing a little privacy. Each party has knowledge of the city, I have knowledge of the city from a foreigners perspective and they see it from a local perspective. Awhile back I told the guy who lives in the house the big secret about mcdonalds....that the big mac combo for 22 pesos is available but its not on the menu. His face BEAMED with pure delight. This is something that is common knowledge among the expats but not so much amongst the locals.  I highly doubt it is something he could have discovered on his own.

It was at a church event awhile back that at one point I found myself sitting off to the side with this one friend of mine that has really been a help for me since landing her. She is one of the girls I went out with and tried french toast. She wants to be a translator when she grows up. Just to explain, in this church event there are thousands of people so there is lots of things to do for people off to the side if they are not directly participating with what is going on in the stage. There is food, washrooms, drinks, sign up tables and alot of socialization going on in various parts of the field. It is very much a situation of "come when you can and leave when you must" and "do what suits your fancy".

This friend of mine had given me something money could not buy......true friendship. And her being billingual was a fantastic bonus too :)  But I realized that there was something I could give her that money could buy. The price of electronics is ridiculous in Argentina. I knew of someone who needed to buy a new charger for an apple computer and the apple store quoted them $250 USD for one. In times like these Mercado Libre is a life save :D

My friend and I sat and chatted on how buying something from the electronics store was almost equal to being robbed. It was then that the law of scarcity and networking came together for her benefit.  I revealed to her that I have two devices from North America that I bought for $200 each. They are both wonderful devices for totally different purposes. One was an ipod touch and the other was a Nokia 5800.

This girlfriend of mine LOVES music. She is a big fan of american rock bands like Green Day and such. There was no doubt in my mind that giving one of the two devices I had lying around would bring my friend an incredible amount of pleasure. Which device was right for her depended on what she wanted it for. An ipod touch is great for apps and social networking. And the Nokia 5800 along with all its accessories are a dream for someone who loves Mp3s. I asked my friend to think about what she would like and whatever device she wanted, I would give to her.

Even though it was dark and cold, the warm glow that came to her face when I made the offer was unmistakeable.   Two weeks later, we met at a local McDonalds where I demonstrated how to use both devices and all the features of each. She walked away from that meeting with her very first ipod touch.  And I walked way from that meeting with a glow in my heart knowing that the first ipod touch I ever owned could not be in better hands.  It was on that wet and rainy afternoon in Mcdonalds that scarcity kissed generosity........







***I thought I would share another video that was one of our favs that got us laughing uncontrollably  :P










Enhanced by Zemanta

Amorous Alpacas

Amorous Alpacas