Don’t Be That Person

A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies.

Friedrich Nietzsche

It’s easy to dump on politicians.

But not all politicians run for office or work in government jobs.

You and I can easily find ourselves thinking like politicians.

When we meet someone, our brain starts running through the possible ways that person can help us.

We seek out people who can make connections for us.

When we do spend time with people who could never help us, it feels like charity.

With these natural tendencies, it is easy to start seeing people as tools to be used.

We instinctively understand the law of reciprocity: if we give to others they will likely reciprocate.

It’s like money in the bank. When we need a favor, we can draw on the balance — assuming it’s positive.

We tend to keep a running tally of what we owe others and what they owe us.

It is written that love keeps no record of wrongs.

An even higher standard is to keep no record at all.

Of course, this standard is so high that it is just beyond our reach.

We can never escape some degree of self-interest in our motivation.

The problem is when self-interest becomes our only motivation or nearly so.