Economic Wisdom to Apply in Your Twenties

Chapter 79

Chapter 10 Section 2 No Giving Without Expectations
Chinese people have always paid attention to etiquette and hospitality. No matter you eat with strangers or familiar friends, the one who rushes to pay the bill is always a Chinese.Westerners, on the other hand, are used to neither fighting nor grabbing, the AA system, and conciseness.

Why is there such a difference?If you have also thought about this question, you may give this answer: because of cultural differences.

Chinese people are warm and hospitable and always polite, while Westerners are more down-to-earth and advocate independence.But if we ask again, why is Chinese culture different from Westerners, and how did different cultures come into being? Is there any reason?I am afraid that many people will not be able to answer.Culture is a very difficult thing to explain clearly. Answering the difference between Chinese people’s way of treating guests and Westerners by using different cultures is to explain one unclear thing to another unclear thing. Such an answer is difficult for people. Satisfied.

If you have studied political economy, you must know that culture as a superstructure is determined by the economic base.In other words, the so-called traditional habits determined by Chinese and Western cultures are ultimately determined by the economy.Therefore, we might as well think from an economic point of view why there are such big differences between Chinese and Western etiquette.

In fact, treating guests to dinner involves the cost and benefit of economics, that is, no matter what a person does, he will get the expected benefit after paying the cost.

First of all, there are differences in the "mobility" between China and the West.We all know that Chinese society in history was characterized by agricultural civilization, and the mobility of the population was poor.Therefore, when a person pays the bill for a treat, it can be completely expected that the person invited will also invite him in the future, so the person who treats the guest does not actually suffer, and everyone just takes turns.In other words, the living conditions of Chinese people are relatively stable.Billing is nothing more than a round-robin process.In the West, however, oceans and commercial civilization have made people more mobile. A person who is in one place today may be in another place tomorrow.If one person invites other people's guests, the person who is invited may never meet again in this life. In order for everyone not to suffer, sharing with each other and paying for each person is the best way to allocate resources.Economists believe that everyone is rational. If you pay the cost today to pay for others, you can completely predict the future benefits, that is, let others pay for you in the future.Of course, what he pays for you is not necessarily a meal, but may be doing you a favor or having more other ways of returning.From an economic point of view, the more stable the mutual living conditions are, the less risk a person will pay for others, and the greater the possibility that he will be rewarded by others in the future; on the contrary, the greater the risk, the greater the possibility of return Small.

Secondly, the Chinese are not blindly paying the bill by one person.It was the first time the two had dinner together, and everyone rushed to pay the bill.Although everyone rushed to pay the second time, it was often the party who did not pay last time tried to prevent the other party, or the person who benefited from the other party would pay the money, and the party who paid last time also took advantage of the trend. Put down the hand that took out the wallet, and be polite.From this point of view, the Chinese actually implement an AA system, but in a different form, which is relatively reserved.

In fact, it is not only the case of paying the bill for meals, but also all kinds of problems we encounter in interpersonal communication.The "reciprocity" in traditional Chinese culture has become a basic principle for Chinese people to be a human being. As the saying goes, "coming and not reciprocating is inappropriate", it is precisely to understand the "reciprocity and reciprocity" between etiquette. We believe that every investment will be expected income.

You may question, in the eyes of economists, there is a naked interest relationship between people. Do economists even recognize the existence of "philanthropists"?In real life, there are also some philanthropists who often take the initiative to help those who are in trouble to tide over the difficulties, such as helping those around them to survive, helping those out-of-school children return to school, or donating to social welfare undertakings. Donate etc.In the eyes of economists, these behaviors are a kind of rationality beyond rationality, a kind of high-level rationality.The contributions of philanthropists may not be rewarded by the recipients in their lifetime, but they increase their moral weight in life from another aspect.That is to say, it improves their prestige and reputation in people's minds, and this kind of prestige and reputation is an intangible wealth, which is difficult to buy with money.

In fact, from the perspective of economics, human nature is the same all over the world. Chinese people are no different from Westerners. What determines our thoughts and behaviors is, in the final analysis, fundamental issues discussed in economics. --Benefit.Just like this, if you try to analyze many things that cannot be explained clearly in the field of culture and morality, you can suddenly see them clearly.

Wisdom Pieces: Famous Quotes About "Giving and Rewarding"
Baojianfeng comes from the sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold.

Plant a grain of millet in spring, and harvest ten thousand seeds in autumn.

There are roads in the mountain of books as the path, and there is no cliff in the sea of ​​learning to make a boat.

If it weren't for a bone-chilling cold, the plum blossoms would be so fragrant.

If you sow melons, you will reap melons; if you sow beans, you will reap beans;

When you pay the most; you also learn the most.

(End of this chapter)