Numbers and Statistics
AUNT CARROL SWALLOWED WATER UNTIL SHE DIED.
"10,000 people dead in flash flood"
Ten thousand times the tragedy, with a fraction of the impact.
Even an old school friend you barely knew dying matters more to you than numbers.
Numbers are generic.
There is no light behind the eyes of a number.
Simply knowing his name, his face, his age and where he grew up gives him more relevance in your version of the simulation than a global catastrophe.
UNDERSTAND:
When you look at governmental decisions you look at statistics.
Horror is allowed to happen because horror doesn't register against numbers.
It's a game of statistics.
"We lose 10 million men, but we gain $1 trillion of mineral deposit rights".
The men's families feel the pain.
The government doesn't give a solitary fuck.
It's a trade-off of one number (death) for another (money).
Big companies are the same, "We need to cut 500 staff members".
The bigger the org, the less empathetic.
Because the bigger the org, the larger the numbers.
The less fine-tuned details.
In this modern world, it's better to be a part of a small machine than a big one.
In a small machine, your name is known. Your feelings and life matter.
In a small machine, it's a question of "Would we trade John's life for $100k?".
Small organizations are much less inclined to treat you as a number.
And if you can't find a small organization you'd be proud to be a part of.
I recommend you learn how to make one for others.
- Tate