Every Choice has a cost -Even the Ones that You Love ..

ARA My eyes blurred at the sudden encroachment. As I opened them, there he sat, in all his glory, with a wide smile adoring his face. His hair slicked back, dressed in a t-shirt and pyjama.

Wait! I woke up! Someone pinch me. This is real.

“What the hell are you doing here again? Mom and Dad know you are here? Why are you here to begin with?” I bombarded him with questions. He fell down the bed as I sat up in an instant.

“Yeah, why are you such a pain?” He yelled dramatically, rubbing his ass.

“Why are you here?”

“Why can’t I be here? I am your own brother. Manik Malhotra, younger brother of Ara Malhotra. Have you forgotten me like Neha and Ranvijay?”

“Don’t say Neha, it’s bhabhi. Show some respect to her even if you skip Ranvijay.”

“Are you serious with me right now? Your priority is fighting for someone who isn’t even here?”

“Okay, tell me. Did you run away from home again?”

“I did not. Mom and Dad know I am here. They even booked my flight.”

“Get to the freaking point already. I have to go to the office too. I can’t babysit you.”

“I am 19 already. I don’t need babysitting.”

“Cut the crap! Will ya? Hardly even started college yet. Preaching me on being an adult.”

“What do you, Mom, Dad and Ranvijay think of me? Wait, are all of your mentalities flawed? Or am I flawed? What is the issue? You think someone can’t do shit if they do not have a college degree?” His eyes brimmed with tears, his face ridden with frustration and humiliation, wrapped up with guilt, served with a platter of self-loathing.

To all fellow empaths: if you have emotional intelligence — don’t use it. If you identify something wrong — don’t act. Don’t try to feel the emotions of the other person. Guide them through it with kindness wrapped in politeness and practicality, filling their delusions with actionable goals and serving them with a garnish of their dreams. You are not supposed to fight the battles for others. It’s their job!

“Do you want to go to music school?” I questioned, staring straight into his eyes. He wiped away his tears and looked at me hopefully.

“Yes. Will you support me?”

“Why should I?”

“Ara!!” He yelled.

I sighed. “Come sit here,” I called him over.

“Why should I support you, when you can support yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“Manik, see in finance a concept is widely taught — it’s called opportunity cost. Do you know what it means?”

“I do not.”

“Opportunity cost is not about what you choose, it’s about what you gave up in making that choice. It’s invisible, but very real — and ignoring it leads to poor decisions.”

“How is that shit related to my music?”

“It is. Do you love us as much as you love your music?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, I love all of you.”

“Suppose there is a situation where Dad is in the hospital and I do not have money to pay for the bills. Ranvijay and Neha are on tour and Mom has no money either. What will you do?”

“I will arrange the money somehow.”

“How? By begging your rich friends at school?”

“Dii…”

“Nobody is against you, Manik. Everybody is worried about you. Everybody believes in you and your music.”

“Then why don’t they let me do it?”

“Because the music industry is hard. Millions of people never make it and suffer all their lives. The opportunity cost of pursuing it is not just failure — it’s your emotional well-being getting ruined, your dreams getting shattered over and over again, and you being crushed under the toes of the giant industry.”

“I accept it. I can go through it.”

“What about the opportunity cost of the emotional toll Mom and Dad will suffer? What about the opportunity cost of the money that will be spent on you?”

“I… I…”

“Every choice has a cost. The cost of the other choices you trampled over. The cost of being able to afford to have that choice and implementing it. The cost of time, effort, money and sacrifice that you and other people will put into it. The opportunity cost of your decision is very high — and the return will only be either failure or success. There is no space for middle ground or mediocrity to be accepted by the industry from a person with no backing.”

“But I desperately want to do it.”

“Then fund it yourself. You can take risks. You can bet on yourself and make mistakes. But don’t do them recklessly — do them intelligently. Take calculated risks. Ensure that you will give your all to your passion, but in case it doesn’t work out, you will have a safety net to fall back on. You will still have a way to sustain yourself and take care of the people that you love and care about.”

“How can I do that?”

“If you want a roadmap, I did say — choose your college major and the subject that you want to study. Take it up in a good college and take music as your extracurricular. Work on yourself. Sing songs and post. Build an online presence — a brand of yourself. You can do that while in college. After college, even if your music thing worked out, still gain at least two years of experience in the industry you have studied in before working as a freelancer and giving your full to your music career. You can even fund it yourself when you earn money. If you don’t get a job, apply for a Master’s and continue with the music journey. You know!”

“I can do that. Why didn’t I get this idea?”

“Coz you are an idiot!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“But seriously Manik, two things in this are non-negotiable — a job of two years, and continuing to work as a freelancer. You need to have multiple sources of income in order to shield yourself from financial emergencies. I will give you the lecture on financial literacy and planning after my office hours.”

“I am not staying for your lectures. I will be going back and start preparing for my college entrance. Just you wait — I will come back and live here over your head.”

“CUET is in 2 months.”

“I will top it.”

“You are delusional to a level I can’t comprehend. But that’s the trademark characteristic of idiots.”

“Ara I will tell on you.”

“Go ahead! Baby.” I chuckled, teasing him to my heart’s content.

“Wait you lizard!” he yelled, throwing pillows at me.

It had been months since I fought with him, had a banter or a pillow fight. Siblings are surreal — you fight them and they are annoying as hell. But you love them for the very same things you hate them for. It’s crazy. The paradox of being a human.

TECHNICAL JARGON

Opportunity cost is the cost of the next best alternative foregone as a result of making a decision. It applies to money, time, energy, effort, and even relationships.

Opportunity cost helps you:

• Make smarter financial decisions
• Prioritize effectively
• Understand the real cost of your choices, beyond just price tags

In Conclusion , opportunity cost is not about what you choose — it’s about what you gave up in making that choice. It’s invisible, but very real — and ignoring it leads to poor decisions. If you’re serious about time, money, or growth — you need to start thinking in terms of opportunity cost.

These are just fictional stories , there is no relevance to current market trends or any places mentioned. Its purely coincidental. This short creative story is only to break down technical financial jargon and concepts and into something easy and understandable for layman. We can retain and remember information more easily when we make a story out of it or read a story about it. Hope it helps. I am open to any constructive criticism from fellow finance professionals regarding any topic, since I am a student . Please help me rectify any mistakes I made by pointing them out.

The image is AI generated on Canva.

Thankyou for reading !

Hope you have an amazing day / rejuvenating rest !