Equivalent Exchange

"If one wishes to gain something, one must present something of equal value"

Let me take some examples :

If you want to buy something, you have to exchange it with money, which is equal to the price of the item.

If you want to score good results, first you have to strive & study hard for it.

If you want to do anything, you will have to sacrifice a portion of your time in doing it.

If you want to generate energy, you will need a resource or another energy to be converted.

"There must be sacrifices & gains in everything, and this is the concept of 'equivalent exchange' which is also the theory of life"

However, if we look at it from a different perspective, it will be a bit contrasting and confusing.

Although it is an undeniable fact that to obtain something, one must first sacrifice or exchange something which is worth the price. However, is this always true that after you sacrificed, you are guaranteed to obtain what you want? There are also some people out there, who are granted what they want since their birth. Do you think this is fair?

To tell you the truth, it is. For what you sacrificed, you obtained something, although most of the time its not what you want. Instead, you gained something better, which will prove to be more useful in your future, which is experience. In the latter case, one will eventually loses everything if he/she continues to take things for granted. This can be interpreted from the fundamental rule, where after you obtained something, you will lose something, its just that the order is reversed.

Tony actually learned something useful from watching anime