>> When someone decides to forgo consumption now in exchange for consumption later, it has to net out into someone else consuming now in exchange for forgoing c

>> When someone decides to forgo consumption now in exchange for consumption later, it has to net out into someone else consuming now in exchange for forgoing consumption later That's not true. You are a farmer, there is no one near you for a thousand miles, you have an unplanted field. You have a bag of seeds and no food. You can decide how many seeds to eat now, and how many seeds to plant for consumption later. No matter what level of consumption & investment you choose, no one else has to change their consumption & investment habits.