There is a story about people who seem excellent and quick-witted at school, but surprisingly may not be so in reality.

I had a classmate in elementary school who was the child of a doctor and seemed to have a very high IQ. He scored highly on intelligence tests administered at school, his grades were good, and he talked about doing advanced learning at cram schools, even studying middle school material.

Now, that friend entered high school and went to a prestigious school far away. They were living in a small boarding house, but one day I received a phone call, and suddenly, I decided to go visit my friend during their break.

That friend, because it was that time period, still had a train ticket booklet. They said they had a little extra and asked if I wanted to buy it. It's the kind where you can ride 11 times for the price of 10. Maybe people nowadays don't know about those anymore.

The price of one item is effectively 10/11. However, ordinary people may not calculate that. I heard about it from a friend and calculated it in my head.

• My friend currently has one ticket that can be used for the full regular fare value.
• My friend currently has one ticket with a purchase price of 1/10th of the regular fare.
• If I buy one at the regular price, my friend will gain the entire difference.
• Since it's considered "extra," if it's not used, my friend will lose the full value of one ticket.
• At this point, since my friend hasn't lost anything yet, the price range can be set from 0 yen to the regular fare.

Note: Since my friend will also use one, there is actually another one available, but let's set that aside for now.

Now, what did I do at that time?

I calculated it in my head and said, "Please sell it to me at a price that is one-tenth of the regular price."

No, I now think that what I said was quite troublesome. Isn't it a hassle when small change comes out? But anyway, at the time, I said that.

Then, my friend, whom I thought was intelligent, started to seem irritated, and with an expression that said "I don't understand," he said, "It's ○○ yen."

No, do you not understand? For me, he is a person who I think is intelligent, and if that's the case, then things like this should be understandable.

Is this saying something difficult?

If the one-tenth of the regular price is difficult to understand, perhaps it would have been simpler to say something like, "Since you are already making a profit from the tickets, please offer them at least 10% cheaper." That would be much easier to understand. Such flexibility was not effective at that time.

However, if we consider equality, I think it is correct to say that the original value should be 10/11 of its initial amount.

Here, options arise.

• Since I am no longer incurring a loss, I will give it away for free.
• Transferring at a value of 10/11 of the original value → This is what I proposed.
• Transferring at the face value as the regular price.

The differences in these areas may have been something that my friends, who were supposed to be intelligent, couldn't understand at the time. Even if they are considered intelligent, they are still high school students, so perhaps it was understandable.

Or, perhaps, I simply hadn't thought about it very much.

It doesn't seem like there was much malicious intent, but rather that they simply became frustrated because they couldn't understand the content. When someone talks about things you haven't thought about yet, it puts a mental load on you to try and understand, so I think they may have become irritated because they were suddenly told something and couldn't grasp it quickly enough.

It is normal to sell products at the regular price when dealing with others or in business. That's just how it is. When purchasing in bulk and selling them individually, whether a seller chooses to sell them at the regular price or at a lower price is up to the vendor.

However, if it's between friends, I think you should choose either an equal option or one where the other person benefits, rather than choosing the option that favors yourself.

Looking back, what I proposed was that you should give it to me at a price equivalent to the original cost per ticket, calculated by dividing the total purchase amount of the tickets by 11. At that time, I didn't even think about accounting or anything like that. From an accounting perspective, it would have been a very clear transfer of value.

Therefore, if we think about it now, one could say, "I thought that for friends, it's fair to offer something at cost price without adding a profit."

When I look at the world, there are many people who try to gain their own benefits from friends, classmates, and others. For example, some people hold home parties and collect participation fees to create a large profit for themselves, then boast about making money elsewhere. There are also people who make excuses like "the organizer is free" when collecting money from other participants at banquets. This difference lies in whether they see the relationship as equal or as someone to do business with.

First of all, if you don't understand this difference, there is no point in talking about it.

Having understood the differences, let's move on to the topic of whether it is okay to make money from a friend.

• People who do not even recognize the difference (not worth discussing).
• People who are aware of the difference.

1. A person who acts to benefit others.
2. A person who strives for equality, ensuring that neither party gains or loses.
3. A person who naturally expects to gain benefits from the other party.

Even if money is involved, if both parties are engaged in business and have transactions that benefit each other, it can be considered a relationship of equals. However, if only one party is benefiting, the situation becomes asymmetrical.

A society where it has become normal to engage in business while pretending to be a friend.

In the past, business and other activities were relatively clearly separated. At least, it seemed that business was more openly apparent than it is now. In modern times, business has become increasingly intertwined with friendships and everyday interactions.

Currently, many people feel that modern individuals are poorer than the previous generation. There may be various reasons for this, but one factor could be that a structure where pretending to be a friend and enjoying benefits has become commonplace.

In entrepreneurship, there are cases where entrepreneurs employ a "friend" strategy. They make employees feel like they are working in a "fun" environment, but in reality, the shares are firmly held by the entrepreneur. Then, while making people work happily, only the entrepreneur sells their shares and retires early, which is one pattern of entrepreneurship. In essence, there can be instances where someone deceives others to take profits. However, this is not always the case, and it can be difficult to discern. There are many cases where a small amount of profit is shared, and people think that's enough. Employees may believe they have enough now because they don't know how much profit the entrepreneur is receiving. This is an example of information asymmetry. The problem arises when camaraderie is emphasized while demanding more dedication than usual, but ownership and distribution of proceeds from sales are not explained.

In another example, some well-known influencers are pretending to be friends and engaging in business transactions. I believe there is an asymmetry of interests involved. In essence, they act as friends while viewing their audience as customers. Those who pay attention can recognize this asymmetry and the unpleasantness of the relationship between the influencer and the viewers who are being manipulated, but it seems that not everyone is concerned about it.

As a position, by being in a friend relationship, you can obtain cooperation and benefits from the other party that would not normally be possible.

People in personal relationships do not always quantify their actions in monetary terms. They often value the act of helping others or sharing experiences together. However, when only one party is turning the relationship into an economic benefit, it creates asymmetry.

There is information asymmetry, and companies possess more information. However, transactions are conducted under the pretense of equality. Consequently, individuals engage in transactions while "not knowing" many things. One example of this is when a person or company that behaved as if they were friends actually viewed you as a customer, a source of revenue, or a source of data.

People who live outside of economic logic are precisely the ones targeted by society.

In such situations, it is people who live apart from the logic of economics who are most likely to be targeted by those pretending to be friends. There is an asymmetry in information and understanding here.

Because they do not live by economic logic, they are unaware that their actions have value to others, or they may never have even considered it. As a result, they continue to be driven to act for the benefit of others.

Therefore, simply separating from the economy will not solve the problem.

Then, what should we do?

Do not introduce economic logic into your relationships with friends and colleagues. Alternatively, be able to identify people who bring in economic logic, and if necessary, change the conditions of the relationship.

Therefore, be careful of people who seem like friends or colleagues but bring in economic logic. However, it is important to consider that this may not always be intentional on their part and could be due to a lack of understanding.

In this world, there are people who calculate everything in terms of money. These are the people who view all relationships as exchanges and gains/losses. It's not about excluding such people; if they approach things with a monetary logic, you can respond to them to some extent using similar principles. That is all. If you don't want to do something, then simply don't do it. Avoiding contact with such people as much as possible is also an option.

Personally, I don't really trust stories about "aid" or "helping others." When I was young, I spent about 5 years involved with NPOs and NGOs, witnessing environmental activities and peace movements. During that time, I saw many dubious things. Of course, not all organizations are like that. However, some of them act like colleagues while claiming to be for the public good, but in reality, they depend on the goodwill and unpaid labor of others. Nevertheless, perhaps a positive aspect of such activities is that it allows one to learn about the difference between ideals and actual practices, as I did when I was young.

However, as more people utilize AI, individuals may find it easier to understand contracts, market prices, and profit structures, which could potentially reduce some of the information asymmetry.

Capitalism is not entirely bad either. Capitalism has the potential for merit and achievement to translate into rewards, regardless of social status. We should strive to create more situations where people are rewarded based on their abilities.

It is ability, not effort, that brings rewards. It is ability, not effort, that matters.

However, in the future, the way that reward is given may not always be in the form of money. I think that the importance of things other than money will increase.

On the other hand, nowadays, the value of capital is becoming unclear. The meaning of currency and assets is changing, and it may become a time when simply possessing capital will no longer guarantee an advantage. In that case, perhaps there is a scenario where, surprisingly, only good competition based on meritocracy remains in the future.

If we do that, it is possible to create a society where the good aspects of capitalism are utilized. In communities based on family, friends, and mutual assistance, people can engage in activities without charge or for the benefit of others, while still striving competitively using capitalist principles.

Currently, if we pay attention to avoid being consumed by economic logic and create a society where merit is recognized, the world may become better.

I hope that will be the case, and I am considering it as one possibility.