Principle of Equivalent Trade

**I don't really believe this Principle to the fullest extent. It's just an idea. Another youthful absurdity made by an ambitious mind.

The principle of equivalent trade states that to gain something, you must present something of equal value. While often applied in a scientific context, I think it is interesting to think of its every day life applications as well. That is to propose that in order for humans to gain something - albeit emotionally, physically, personally, etc. - they must make a sacrifice of equal value. It proposes if you are to fall in love, you must equally give up multiple things whose composition will comprise of that equal value of love you are receiving. It proposes if you are to gain knowledge and wisdom, then you are to give up some other aspect of your life in order to obtain them.

While such theories obviously cannot be tested, it is interesting to observe them within the scope of our world and its realities. It has long been said that if you extremely love someone, you are also giving them the capability to hurt you to the same extent. Such can also be applied to the pursuit of knowledge and inner wisdom. Seeking to know everything and seeking to know yourself can have great benefits for the person wielding that power, but what if it too came at a cost? There is a distinct correlation between genius and insanity. Does one become a genius first, then through pursuing the area of interest too far, become insane? Or is one simply on the path of insanity the entire time? When attempting to become a genius, a person may be unknowingly giving up those things which retain their sane aspects. After pushing this forward for such a long time, they eventually lose hold of all of their sane aspects, and are then classified as "insane".

But what of more practical applications? To gain a friendship must you give up something? Of course. You must give up part of your security. If you are always alone in your life you can control to what extent you are hurt by others. But if you willingly give your thoughts, feelings, and emotions freedom to be interpreted by other people, you suddenly open doors to possible pain and anguish. Marriage, too, comes at a great cost. It comes at a loss of individuality and a sense of self. Proper marriage, anyway, takes two people and joins them as one, to the extent that they share who they are with one another. While certainly the actual purpose and methodology of marriage is debatable, it nonetheless has its costs like everything else.

Is it true that in order to gain anything in the world, you must give up something of equal value? To a certain extent I think that it is. If you pursue religion fiercely, and close your mind to science, then you will be blinding yourself to truth. If you pursue science fiercely, and close your mind to religion, then you will be blinding yourself to faith. Thus both areas have their own costs related to believing. The simple belief of God has its own costs that you must give, as do atheist beliefs. Every action, every gamble, every decision, every personal choice of life direction that you choose has a path that it follows. However, it also has a path that extends in the other direction, which is the opposite of the path you chose. This path can often be seen as what you have abandoned, or chosen to give up, in order to pursue your selected path.

Most of this is bound to sound ridiculous, since more rational explanations are harder to pinpoint. For instance, What is the cost you must give up in order to equal the choice of eating food? These trivial tasks are often left to interpretation and the singular realities each person believes. The greater choices and decisions which unite everyone, and can not performed individually, are the paths which interest me most. Life in general consists of several reoccuring themes, such as Birth, Existence, Love, and Death.

Before you make a large conscious decision in your life, such as whether to get married, believe in God, follow science or religion, or any other major choice you find yourself itching to make, remember that for each choice you make about what to believe, there exists an element of equal value which you are also choosing to give up. Is it worth it to examine the things that we give up in life? If it is going to happen no matter what, what is the significance? For that answer I ask that you look inside yourself, but remember, for whatever the value of the knowledge you obtain and to whatever extent it shapes your life, you may be giving something up, without even knowing it.