Symbols are literally everywhere you look. The sentence you just read is nothing but a chain of symbols which got resolved to an overall concept. 2 + 2 = 4 mean

Symbols are literally everywhere you look. The sentence you just read is nothing but a chain of symbols which got resolved to an overall concept. 2 + 2 = 4 means nothing except to a human. You're right -- symbols are cheap. However, they're the very threads our world is weaved with. Off topic I know, but I always think it's important to keep in my mind.