Volume 4 · The Ledger and the Loom · Essay 13

Annuity Paradox

Here is a thing that should not be true, and is: Annuity Paradox. Sit with it for a moment. It will repay you.

Hold both ends and the puzzle relaxes. The mistake is insisting that only one end exists. Indian philosophy knew this long ago; our epics are full of victories that were also defeats.

A rupee saved loudly impresses people for a day. A rupee invested quietly feeds them for years. The bazaar respects the first; life rewards the second.

Money is a good clerk and a terrible master; the arrangement is entirely up to us. You will meet this idea again this week, wearing different clothes. Now you will recognise it.