Buying a building (real estate) on a plot of land as an asset is really laughable—especially in China, where a random landslide or a dam breach could wipe it out to zero.

If you invest in a US stock index, the internal complexity creates system redundancy, which is actually very resilient. Even if a few companies fail, because the index uses dispersed weights, it can be repaired quickly, showing excellent robustness through volatility and restructuring.

Can an index wobble, get restructured, and have its price recover—but can a fallen house be restructured and repaired?