Do you have to be ruthless to succeed? How do the "good guys" fare?

The guy who stays clean always comes out on top in the end. I honestly think once the lights go out and you're just stuck alone with your own head, being a total piece of trash makes it impossible to live with yourself.
Inner peace is basically the payout for not being a complete jerk. It’s a massive win.

You think guilty people actually feel a conscience? To have one, you’d need to possess one in the first place. They just don't.

I feel like everyone’s dealing with this, honestly; you can tell by how high-strung people are and just how much they're struggling to catch a break.

What does it actually mean to be a "corrupt" person?
What kind of criteria are we even using here to define corruption?
If everyone is just defining "badness" based on their own personal baggage and how they felt during a specific interaction, then there’s zero objectivity to it all...
It isn't all black and white. You can't just sort people into neat little boxes like that. Everyone carries a whole lifetime of history underneath the surface.

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:What does it actually mean to be a "corrupt" person?
What kind of criteria are we even using here to define corruption?
If everyone is just defining "badness" based on their own personal baggage and how they felt during a specific interaction, then there’s zero objectivity to it all...
It isn't all black and white. You can't just sort people into neat little boxes like that. Everyone carries a whole lifetime of history underneath the surface.

Oh, really? Think about that again, because there definitely are lines in the sand. Some people have way more respect for others than others do. It goes as far as someone thinking they have the right to take a life.

I'm not saying everything is black and white, but let's be real—there is definitely some bad news out there.

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:What does it actually mean to be a "corrupt" person?
What kind of criteria are we even using here to define corruption?
If everyone is just defining "badness" based on their own personal baggage and how they felt during a specific interaction, then there’s zero objectivity to it all...
It isn't all black and white. You can't just sort people into neat little boxes like that. Everyone carries a whole lifetime of history underneath the surface.

Being corrupt isn't just something defined by individual experience. It isn't some vague psychological label you just toss around.

Besides, regardless of what anyone thinks, objectivity actually carries weight. Something is objectively true whether one person recognizes it or absolutely no one does. Objectivity isn't about persuasion; it's about reality. 🙂

You honestly gotta be a total jerk (it’s kind of a funny word, 🙂 )

Sweet. Just keep that same energy for yourself. Go all in on this, because you reap what you sow...

Richard Wells said:Oh, really? Think about that again, because there definitely are lines in the sand. Some people have way more respect for others than others do. It goes as far as someone thinking they have the right to take a life.

I'm not saying everything is black and white, but let's be real—there is definitely some bad news out there.

Taking a life and being "corrupt." But what if someone takes a life because they were experiencing a total mental breakdown?

gentlelynx11 said:Being corrupt isn't just something defined by individual experience. It isn't some vague psychological label you just toss around.

Besides, regardless of what anyone thinks, objectivity actually carries weight. Something is objectively true whether one person recognizes it or absolutely no one does. Objectivity isn't about persuasion; it's about reality. 🙂

Sure, we all know the textbook definition of corruption, but what I'm getting at is how people weigh its importance depending on the situation. Their perception of "corruption" is heavily colored by their own emotional history. For instance, if some thief steals an elderly woman's purse (groundbreaking stuff 🤣), she’s almost certainly going to judge every thief by that same standard because of what she went through. Meanwhile, someone who hasn't dealt with that will see things differently. If that same woman hears on the news that a thief robbed a Shell station and swiped some cigarettes (really original 🤣), she'll immediately link it back to her own trauma... whereas maybe that guy was just starving. Is a person truly corrupt if they're forced to steal just to eat?

Nobody is born a scumbag—they just choose to act like one. When someone screws you over, don't get even; just settle the score with a clean break and move on. There are 8 billion people on this planet—if one jerk ruins things for you, the world isn't ending, okay? You just turn your back on them like they’re a bag of trash left on a curb, and if they ever find themselves needing a favor down the road, they’ll certainly remember how you walked away...

Richard Wells said:Sweet. Just keep that same energy for yourself. Go all in on this, because you reap what you sow...

Man, you're really 🤣 making me feel like I have to defend myself here 🙂
. No, seriously—I think someone who leans too hard into self-pity just needs to take that little streak of masochism they have and smother it with a healthy dose of common sense. It’s basically trash behavior when you focus entirely on your own wants and needs instead of looking at how things are actually unfair to you and everyone else. The whole point is learning how to stand up for yourself without being a jerk to everybody else in the process 🙂
.
Honestly, I was asking myself those exact same questions back when this thread first blew up 😉

What you’re talking about isn't "trashy" behavior—it's just basic survival. Real trash is someone who uses every dirty trick in the book just to screw someone else over and feel good about themselves. They have zero shame and zero regrets.

@Jeffrey Ramos4, I don't think we're out here analyzing legal definitions of criminal profiles. We're talking about people who consciously and coldly target others. It ranges from intentional emotional abuse to those extreme moments where they'll take a life for any reason at all. It varies.

How the other side reacts is a whole different conversation, but bad actors who move with malicious intent definitely exist. That's not just an opinion; it's a fact.

I came across something recently that really hit home for me, and it sparked this exact thought: "I am so incredibly grateful for everything my parents did for me, but I have no intention of raising my own kids the same way they raised me. It’s not because their parenting was bad—honestly, it wasn't—it’s just that the world they were prepping me for simply doesn't exist anymore, and I'm still trying to find my footing in this new one."

bluecobra8 said:I came across something recently that really hit home for me, and it sparked this exact thought: "I am so incredibly grateful for everything my parents did for me, but I have no intention of raising my own kids the same way they raised me. It’s not because their parenting was bad—honestly, it wasn't—it’s just that the world they were prepping me for simply doesn't exist anymore, and I'm still trying to find my footing in this new one."

But how else are you supposed to raise them?

I ask because I find myself facing similar parenting dilemmas right now, and frankly, I’m struggling with how to handle them.
How am I supposed to raise a child? Should I teach them to be a hypocrite? To cheat and steal whenever the opportunity arises? To believe that school is irrelevant and that their only real goal should be curating a social circle just to manipulate their way toward success?

Because if I actually raised them that way, what kind of person would I be? I'd be someone who couldn't even look at themselves in the mirror without feeling pure shame.

Sure, my parents grew up in a completely different system—one where there was actual hope for tomorrow, where things felt more stable. Today, that feels like a total utopia, especially after all the massive societal shifts we've seen here in the States over the last few decades.

But can I really raise someone who steps on others or acts purely out of selfishness just because "that's what the world demands"?
Absolutely not.
And I won't. Not because I'm naive, but because I believe that my child and I both contribute our tiny fraction to the state of this world. I refuse to be part of the problem. That is why I will continue to instill moral values in them; I will keep hammering home that education matters and that real results come from hard work and perseverance.

Doing anything else would go against everything I stand for. It wouldn't be me, and it certainly isn't the vision I have for my child's future.

My kid will eventually learn just how cruel this world can be and what kind of cutthroat rules people play by—they're already learning it. But that does not give them a free pass to be a moral wreck just because "society requires it," and I will never, ever condone behavior like that, even if they choose to follow those examples.

I honestly don't think any parenting advice is going to stick if it doesn't align with how you actually live your life. Kids are little mirrors; they mimic your actions, your temperament, and your core values. It doesn't matter how much you lecture them about what the world is like. You can talk until you're blue in the face, but if you're telling a kid to be tough and self-reliant while you're out here being a pushover who lets everyone walk over you, they aren't going to listen to your words. They'll just end up being soft, just like you. They pick up on what you do, not what you say.

Kyle Rivera3 said:I honestly don't think any parenting advice is going to stick if it doesn't align with how you actually live your life. Kids are little mirrors; they mimic your actions, your temperament, and your core values. It doesn't matter how much you lecture them about what the world is like. You can talk until you're blue in the face, but if you're telling a kid to be tough and self-reliant while you're out here being a pushover who lets everyone walk over you, they aren't going to listen to your words. They'll just end up being soft, just like you. They pick up on what you do, not what you say.

Spot on. You can talk until you're blue in the face, but when it comes to children, they learn primarily through observation—specifically by watching their parents—not by listening to your sermons. You can spend days babbling or delivering endless lectures, but it’s a waste of breath. If you want them to learn something, show them through your own example, and then they'll actually get it.

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:Taking a life and being "corrupt." But what if someone takes a life because they were experiencing a total mental breakdown?

Sure, we all know the textbook definition of corruption, but what I'm getting at is how people weigh its importance depending on the situation. Their perception of "corruption" is heavily colored by their own emotional history. For instance, if some thief steals an elderly woman's purse (groundbreaking stuff 🤣), she’s almost certainly going to judge every thief by that same standard because of what she went through. Meanwhile, someone who hasn't dealt with that will see things differently. If that same woman hears on the news that a thief robbed a Shell station and swiped some cigarettes (really original 🤣), she'll immediately link it back to her own trauma... whereas maybe that guy was just starving. Is a person truly corrupt if they're forced to steal just to eat?

... or in self-defense, I suppose 🙂

or in the name of God 😵

or in the name of law and order 🤣

or in the name of liberty 😂

or for the greater good... not to mention profit or wealth, since those poor souls simply lack the capacity to adapt to this brutal world, forcing them to kill others while they desperately struggle just to survive 🤮

.. I seem to be asking far too many questions lately .. heaven help us all 😬

Anonymous said:Sometimes I can’t help but feel like life would be a lot easier if I were just more ruthless. But honestly? That’s just not who I am, and I don't know how to function in an environment like that. Even when I’m surrounded by people who seem well-meaning on the surface—even though we all know deep down they’re total snakes—I still give them the benefit of the doubt until they eventually stab me in the back. When they do, I just end up feeling disappointed, angry, and heartbroken, wondering how this keeps happening to me. I truly love genuine, good people, but they tend to live in their own little bubbles. Nowadays, if you actually want to build a meaningful life and surround yourself with decent human beings, it feels like you have to fight through a gauntlet of chaos just to establish a sense of security and independence.

I’m curious to hear from you guys: how have you structured your lives to find peace? More importantly, how do you navigate around the materialists, the egoists, and those selfish power-trippers with warped values who seem to hold all the cards?

People are constantly drifting in and out of our lives... so seriously, don't be afraid to cut off anyone who doesn't fit your vibe... because making that space is the only way to make room for the ones who actually do.
It's even more vital to learn how to set hard boundaries with anyone trying to use you—whether it's your boss, family, acquaintances, or coworkers...
The biggest thing is knowing what you actually want and stopping the habit of trying to buy people's affection by being a doormat or sucking up to them just to be liked.
Just live for what matters to you, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Their lives are theirs, their desires are theirs, not yours... though obviously, you might need to wear a bit of a mask in public since people generally can't handle honesty, someone else's success, being smart, or having different ideas... others don't really care about who you are deep down, so only open up to the people where you truly feel that closeness and intimacy is mutual...
Respect yourself—your wants, your free time, your skills, and your knowledge. If you don't do that, nobody else will.

Look, you don't have to be a jerk or take stuff from others just to live a good, happy life... you just have to respect yourself and know how to set boundaries with everyone else...

Anonymous said:Sometimes I can’t help but feel like life would be a lot easier if I were just more ruthless. But honestly? That’s just not who I am, and I don't know how to function in an environment like that. Even when I’m surrounded by people who seem well-meaning on the surface—even though we all know deep down they’re total snakes—I still give them the benefit of the doubt until they eventually stab me in the back. When they do, I just end up feeling disappointed, angry, and heartbroken, wondering how this keeps happening to me. I truly love genuine, good people, but they tend to live in their own little bubbles. Nowadays, if you actually want to build a meaningful life and surround yourself with decent human beings, it feels like you have to fight through a gauntlet of chaos just to establish a sense of security and independence.

I’m curious to hear from you guys: how have you structured your lives to find peace? More importantly, how do you navigate around the materialists, the egoists, and those selfish power-trippers with warped values who seem to hold all the cards?

If you think you'd be better off being a jerk, it means you're already one; you just haven't realized it yet. Get it?

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:What does it actually mean to be a "corrupt" person?
What kind of criteria are we even using here to define corruption?
If everyone is just defining "badness" based on their own personal baggage and how they felt during a specific interaction, then there’s zero objectivity to it all...
It isn't all black and white. You can't just sort people into neat little boxes like that. Everyone carries a whole lifetime of history underneath the surface.

The definition is simple and applies to everyone. It’s someone who knowingly hurts another person just to make themselves feel better, fully aware of the damage they're causing. Usually, these are just selfish types who think they're inherently more important than everyone else. They use any kind of manipulation to get what they want, regardless of the wreckage they leave behind. Scumbags.🍿