Sanjay Shukla

As we wrap up this year, I want to share with you some fascinating observations and ideas that made me think differently about the world. Here they are, in simple terms:

1. We Eat the Menu

We don’t eat the food; we eat the menu. We don’t drink the wine; we drink the price tag. What does this mean? Our experience of food and drinks is more about how they’re presented, their cost, and the perception they create, rather than how they actually taste. Aesthetics and perception often overpower the tongue.

2. Technology Moves Fast, Rules Move Slow

This year, I noticed something interesting about technology and rules. While new tech keeps coming out super-fast – while the technology moves at lightning speed, the rules to control this tech take much longer to make. This gap allows tech companies to bend the system for their benefit. Think about delivery apps – they created a whole new type of job, but it took time for rules to catch up to protect these workers.

3. How Leaders Sometimes Become Too Powerful

I learned about a pattern that some leaders follow to get too much power. They follow a playbook. They usually do three things:

• Control the people who make decisions (like judges).
• Take down opponents using scandals or taxes.
• Change the rules to stay in power longer. It’s something we should all be aware of.

4. Shopping Mall Secrets

This year, I figured out why shopping malls are designed the way they are. Malls are designed to exhaust and disorient you with features like long walks, flashy lights, no windows, and nowhere to sit. Why? Because when you’re tired, your self-control weakens, making you more likely to make impulse purchases. It’s a clever but sneaky way to get us to spend more money.

5. The Status Game – The Problem with Always Wanting Expensive Things

I thought about how some people always try to buy expensive things to show off. I asked myself this question: Should you join the race to climb the social ladder by buying luxury items? Probably not. It’s like a game that never ends – there’s always something more expensive to buy, and you can never win. Instead of chasing status, it’s better to focus on inner peace and fulfilment.

6. Why Rewards Don’t Always Work

Here’s something surprising I learned: Offering big rewards or and bonuses to push people (employees) to do better doesn’t always work. It can actually make things worse. Why? Because people focus only on the prize and lose their creativity and problem-solving abilities.

8. Keeping Our Knowledge Safe

I worried this year about how we store all our information. We think we’ve created endless backups of our knowledge through digital storage, but that’s not true. All digital data depends on electricity, computers, and the internet. If a major disaster wipes out these systems, future generations might not have the technology to access the data. Without better preservation methods, we risk losing the knowledge we’ve worked so hard to gather.

9. Baby Psychology – Why Kids Talk to Imaginary Friends

I discovered something cool about kids who talk to imaginary friends, like pet teddy bears, dolls, etc. It’s not because they don’t know the difference between real and imaginary – they’re actually pretty smart! When kids talk to imaginary creatures, they’re actually practising social interaction in a safe and creative way. It helps them understand how other people think and act—a clever DIY method for learning psychology.

10. Why We Should Look for Aliens

Finally, I learned about why searching for aliens is important. If we find them, we could learn so much from them! Even if we don’t find any, it will remind us how special life on Earth is and why we should take better care of each other.

That’s my list of interesting things from 2024! Which one surprised you the most? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

• By  S.J.