When Love is Like Economics: The Opportunity Costs of A Relationship
“Scarcity forces us to make choices. When we decide to do anything, we are implicitly deciding against doing something else. In other words, we are giving up an opportunity.”
I stared at the PowerPoint slide on economic basics through tears. How was it that the one thing that resonated most with what I was feeling appeared at just the right moment? Usually, it happens with a song — I’ll be listening to sad pop-punk boys crooning lyrics like “If you never break you’ll never know how to put yourself back together” and then feel like my NSA agent is watching me and messing with my YouTube recommendations.
But no, it happened with my New Venture Design PowerPoint that time, as I was being forced to contemplate a choice I had made two years ago, and the very high opportunity costs of that choice.
Almost three years ago, I fell into what I thought was love. Or stumbled into it is more like it. Before I knew it, I had my first serious relationship. I had who I thought was the elusive “One.” I was daydreaming of a proposal, something I never thought would happen to me. I was counting down the months till I’d graduate and get to see him more. I didn’t (and still don’t) know what I want to do with my life, but I had a life partner and that was (regrettably) an accomplishment to me in and…
