In a message dated 8/16/98 10:40:31 AM, Lee wrote:
>So I wonder what the observable differences might be between economies (or
>organizations) where one, compared to the others, has a greater (or
>lesser) number of individuals who really know what's in their own best
>interests.
Lee,
If you believe in multiple realities, the power of interpretation, and a
future that unfolds, this seems be a rhetorical question since it is
unanswerable. How do we ever truly know what's in our best interest? The
answer could change with time.
There is a story about a guy who has a son who gets in a car crash and
loses a leg which was thought to be a horrible tragedy until his unit was
all killed in Viet Nam several months later. Had he not had the accident,
he would have stayed in the military and been killed. I think the story
has several iterations of tragedies that seemed not in anyone's best
interest that turned out later to be blessings in disguise. Some of you
might know the story better than I do.
There are stories of people getting cancer and it being life altering for
the positive in the end. There are stories of people being swindled and
it turning out to be a gift as they have a new appreciation for what
matters in life - not the money! I recognize these might not be true for
everyone, but a number of people report such changes in their assessments
about what was in their best interest at the time.
The example you give of the person who steals has more personal choice
perhaps about what actions were taken than someone having an accident,
getting diagnosed with disease or getting victimized, but I think my point
is still the same. At that moment, the action seemed to be in the
person's bestnterpretation subject to change.
What's "in your best interest" is an interpretation at some moment in time
with limited perspective. That interpretation can and does change as we
gain more distinctions, have different concerns in life and alter our
frame of reference.
Comments?
Margaret McIntyre
MargMcI@aol.com
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