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Game Theory

January 1, 2024

Dannydaniels Advice, Life, politics , , Leave a comment

Whether you are an economist, mathematician, political scientist, psychologist or just someone who loves reading. I am sure you have heard of Game theory.
This covers everything about life, from evolution to international relations. As new year starts I have been thinking about this, and one of the best people in this field is Prof Axelrod. He did a paper before I was born with his friend Prof Hamilton. Axelrod ran an experiment and I want to share my take on the results

Professor Axelrod Game theory experiment. Came up with these qualities to survive and thrive. Here are the Best qualities in life.
1. Being nice
2. Being forgiving
3. Retaliatory
4. Being clear

Being Nice.
Means don’t be the asshole first. This doesn’t mean you are not capable of being one, it just means you never strike first. You treat kindness with kindness and nasty with same measure.
Even in international relations, you will notice some of the countries media propagates as bad countries like China or Russia and lately Israel, they never throw the first punch. But they know how to respond with same measure and worse. But wait Danny, isn’t that tit for tat? Funny story, one of the programmes in the experiment was called Tit for Tat to date it’s been the best winner in the experiment.

Being forgiving
This means don’t hold a grudge and if they apologize and change, you will move on like nothing happened. To be honest I struggle with this part. But it’s a very good strategy, whether it’s country to country, business or even friendship. Remember a good settlement is better than revenge.

Being Retaliatory.
When someone strikes, strike back. Do it with such a blow that they will never think of trying it again. This is one of my life’s philosophy. If someone comes at you, swing your best. Better to die fighting than live a slave. Seen that in international relations or businesses? Friendship?
Don’t be a push over.

Being Clear
Don’t try to be too clever and outsmart others. Be clear and others will play with you. I found this astounding mostly from a psychology and behaviour perspective. Make things clear at first. Re it relationship, sex, business and even in politics. Unless you want to win short term.

Now, does this mean that nasty people wouldn’t succeed? Of course not. They will but not as many times as the people with the four qualities. Life is unfair but life also has equilibrium to equalise things and they always do. To you and me they might look as if things never happen as they should but remember to Life, your days are just a dot in a very big book. With time things equalise. Be it climate change, economies, and even small things. Some call this Karma. I call it life. If you don’t pay a price, your children will or their children. Every value in life has a price and the price will always have to be paid.

Life will send abnormalities along the way. It’s you to know when to strike and when to be forgiving. If you can’t filter the noises. The four strategies might not always work. You have to be deliberate in thinking beyond normal. Skillfully take away what is noise and what is a threat. Remember life is not chess. It’s not a zero sum game. You will never do way better than everyone. You just come up ahead a bit. You will lose as well. That’s a skill you have to learn. Learn to lose and lose gracefully.

The main point in this story is simple. Cooperation works, you don’t have to be a Christian or religious. You can cooperate for your own personal interests. (The foundation of this mortality is actually religious based, but that’s not the debate today)
Life has shown that only organisms that cooperate actually thrive. And the ones that don’t, go extinct. Be it people or even ants, to bacterias.
Cooperation pays, even among rivals.

TAXATION

August 23, 2018

Dannydaniels Advice, business, Life, politics, Uncategorized , Leave a comment

I am not a politician and neither am I fighting for any one. But due to the situation in this country let me vent a bit.

Look at our country, we have some of the lowest wage workers in the world, yet companies like Cadbury, Unilever and others closed shop, because they can’t afford the taxes. Companies like Nike and Adidas would rather go to China than Kenya because it’s cheaper there. Not wages, but operating cost.

But Danny it’s the Chinese debt. Actually it’s not. Chinese are loaning African countries money with little or no interest plus no conditions. After all most Chinese are now middle income earners so China needs a China and funding infrastructure in Africa opens a door for cheap labor and a business hub for Chinese people. But IMF and WB have conditions, so do Americans and other countries that are supporting us. Condition number one, high tax rates. So that you can prove you can pay the debt. China on the other hand, if Kenya has good roads it gives China access to Congo, Ethiopia and other countries that don’t have good ports to ship goods.

But Boss, government so creating jobs..
The answer is no, at least not as many people think.

For most Africans, government should be responsible for creating jobs. that`s a white lie. Governments are NOT responsible for job creation (though our constitution wrongly says they should).

Government don`t know how to and cannot create jobs.

The only thing government can do (and should do) is to create conducive environment and facilities that will help you and I to create jobs.

Yes, job creation is the duty of yourself and myself, for ourselves and other Africans. Unless working in the Military or being a teacher counts. You see the government is not a profit making entity. And out of 50 million Kenyans it can only employ 10% o give or take, so even if it employs 2,000,000 Kenyans we are still in trouble.

So instead of the West insisting on high taxes why don’t they push for tax cuts. These taxes have killed any possibility of economic development. Why are you killing any hope of us ever helping our selves? Because overtaxation means, no investors, no jobs and hence we are at the mercy of charity and loans. And for a guy who struggled paying Mshwari, KCB, branch and Tala among other mobile app loans i can assure you it’s a pit you don’t want on us unless you hate us.

The issue is not the East, the issue is the conditions of the West. I know you are a middle class earner and paying an extra 30 shillings on your fuel which is already above 100 shillings it’s not a biggie. But think of the family that the father is paid 200 shillings a day. How I’ll it affect them?

Taxes can’t raise any money if they kill the economy, if we want to save this country. Let’s be reasonable stop over taxation. Because the economic depression coming our way will be worse than Greece. We will never be able to grow our economy.

That’s all folks. What’s do you think? Am i wrong?