Be A Good Boy

I used to believe there were objective good and bad things in this world. Good people made good decisions that improved society. Bad people made bad choices and would eventually face karmic consequences.

I now see that as an overly simplistic, and frankly delusional, way of interpreting reality.

I’m not sure where we first learn this model, but those who never look beyond inherited morality rarely become who or what they want to be.

We grow up believing there is a shared moral compass we’re meant to follow as a group. Many people take actions they believe are virtuous in the eyes of the collective, assuming those who benefit most from this system would behave the same way if roles were reversed. That assumption is false. The higher you climb the status ladder, the more nakedly self-serving behavior becomes.

A simple example: waiting your turn.