DECISIONS MADE NOT BY US, BUT FOR US
Marios Kyriakou
13.11.2018
In Economics you learn that production/provision of goods/products and services is performed by businesses and the government in a mixed economy. The decisions:
1)WHAT types of goods to produce/provide,
2)HOW to produce/provide them and
3)FOR WHOM to produce/provide (how they are going to be distributed).
Take a good look around you. Most of what you see/observe are results of decisions taken by those who produce or provide services. That chair, that window, that table, the type of food we eat, the type of clothes we wear.
From birth, we are presented with all these goods/products. Since we don’t have INFORMATION about other types of products or services, we are “fine” ,and used to, to the ones we are presented with. What is left for us, is only a choice on what to acquire, what to consume, from the types of goods AVAILABLE to us.
Now, let’s think about the quality of those goods/products or services… Yes, decisions about quality is still a decision of the provider (businesses, government). Let’s think about the quality of drinking water, the quality of the air we breath, the quality of the food we eat, the quality of healthcare services etc… the quality of life it self.
An important factor that governs everyone’s decisions, and thus actions, is “information”. With more information available to us, we are more likely to make better decisions. When it comes to drinking water for example, people prefer to buy bottled water because they have the information that tab water is dirty and bad for their health. When it comes to breath smoke from cigarettes, by knowing that is harmful to our lungs, makes us avoid it. “A healthy person is a happy person”. However, are we willing to learn? Are we willing to invest in accumulating knowledge?
I wonder… what kind of information is kept from us in all areas of our lives? Do we have the mentality and right to ask questions, to acquire more information? Do we accept the information presented to us blindly? Are we able to identify if that information is true thus allowing us to make better decisions?
> Do WE have a CHOICE for a better quality of life?
