Fellas, more of a self-improvement post

I just wanted to share a 2 point trait common to all. Nothing provable but it might be self-evident.

The idea that

  1. People make the best choice they can at that time

  2. Every choice has selfish roots

The above are the root ideals that will help you understand and predict the behavior of others. A lot understand this concept innately. The deeper you understand this concept the more enlightening it becomes.

To elaborate some more on these two common traits

  1. People make the best choice they can at that time - The most basic idea of this concept is: If you have a choice between A & B, the choice you make will always be the best choice available to you at that instant of making the choice.

  2. Every choice has selfish roots - The choice you make will always have the intention of benefiting yourself in some way.

Examples in life

It's your first day at your new job at a fairly large facility. You received your induction and get familiarized with the workplace. Come home time, you exit the building based on the knowledge you gained from the induction.

A month later, a colleague lets you in on an alternate path to the carpark that saves you half the walking distance. You then, from that day onwards take that route.

Occasionally during the year, the fluoros in the hallway on the short route blows and the hallway becomes dark enough to feel unsafe. On those days, you take the longer route.

You decided to lose some weight and believe that every bit helps. So you take the longer route now

Why this is beneficial

Firstly when you start to grasp and accept this idea then every value, ideal & choice you have becomes flexible. You're no longer tied down to one belief thinking that it is final, but rather you know it's the best belief you have at the moment but there can be a better option. Your mind starts to open up and becomes acceptable to new ideas.

When you start to understand all the factors (emotions, environment, values, religion, conditioning, upbringing, history, knowledge etc.) that influences the best choice, you will come to one realization where you can put yourself into a situation where you make the same choice as anyone else. And alternatively, given the right influences, someone else's beliefs or choice can be changed.