Why do nasty people prosper?

bruceg

bruceg

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Discussion over dinner tonight revolving around a person who is succeeding quite well by being nasty (it's a custody situation, where the one parent is actively poisoning the kids, and succeeding to the point where the kids don't want to see the other parent - and there's nothing the legal system can do), and segued into the general discussion of why nasty people seem to prosper.... the folks who take credit for everyone elses work, the ladder-climbing backstabbers, poisonous ex-spouses (spice?), etc etc...

So what's your thoughts? I've used the word "nasty" instead of "evil" because there's arguments about what evil is, but I think "nasty" doesn't have the extra-human overtones...

... Bruce (someone pick Brian up off the floor please... the shock of me starting a thread and all....)
 
I think that they succeed only when they properly apply their nastiness. They have to put on an amicable face until they have power, and then they must snatch.

They prosper because they know to take whenever they can. It's that simple. Any nasty behavior toward other people is like a Gollum with too many fingers in the pickle jar. "They're mines! Must have the preciouses! You can'ts haves them. Neaoooo!" And they bite and they scratch when something they've made precious is eyed at or cajoled, all the while piling up real and metaphorical gold in their dragon's lair.

Of course, there are nasty people who do not prosper because they cannot judge when it is time to be and when it is time not to be nasty.
 
probably so clever people can come up with ideas like Hell, karma,being reborn as a empty ghost ect. ect. ect. ect. ect.

Or better yet so the "have not's" will feel comfortable with what they dont have.
 
brucegdc said:
(someone pick Brian up off the floor please... the shock of me starting a thread and all....)
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:D I don't think he needs to be picked-up ! Maybe he will breath with relief, as he's very busy right now.
 
sjr said:
probably so clever people can come up with ideas like Hell, karma,being reborn as a empty ghost ect. ect. ect. ect. ect.

Or better yet so the "have not's" will feel comfortable with what they dont have.
Click to expand...
This thread is like "Is God just?". If he is, why do nasty people prosper? If he isn't, then why should we be?

The book of Job has quite a lot to say about this. It's true - nasty people prosper, so as sjr says, Christians and others have come up with Heaven and Hell, karma etc, to balance up the scales.

But I think God isn't - and doesn't want to be - just, in that sense. If he were just, we'd all be sunk. His is forgiving. The question is, are we only being 'nice' because we are afraid of going to Hell, or are we being nice because we are inspired by the love of God? I don't think we should be looking for justice in this world or any other.
 
The human species is an aggressive ape. We are hardwired to live in social groups where inequality not only thrives but is also enforced.

Therefore it's not so much an issue of "nasty" as much as aggresion, to help create and enforce those ineqaulities that empower the self.

A generalisation to be sure.

And, yes, I'm amazed you started a thread - but it's a disturbing topic I've been watching myself in my business enviroment - it's like watching evolution in action: the survival of the aggressive.
 
i believe that good people are considered as good because there are bad people around, and i do believe that even the most innocent of us has got a nasty idea waiting inside, no there's no escape from it,

just live it,

if you know that what you are doing is bad you shouldnt be doing it again, correct?
hmmm and i dont believe that nasty people .. prosper, i prosper too and i am good to the bone really, well except for the mischievouses i regulary do ) or attend ;)




yingandyoung )
 
I agree 'nasty' people simply take advantage of a situation or exploit what resources and time is available for their own benefits, and they might be simply displaying burried and frustrated aggression which to some degree is encouraged by society.
However, I think there are other factors to consider. What drove the person to this frustration? Why do they feel the need to do this, why do they continue where others restrain themselves? We've all done nasty things in our lives, intentionaly or not. Sometimes it's better to distance oneself from the situation and acknowledge that we can only see one side of the coin, so to speak. There may be hundreds of circumstances that we're not aware of that push someone to the point of 'nastiness'.
As far as Divine Justice goes, I'd like to believe in it, or at least believe it's possible, even if at times it seems far-fetched and incredible.
Still one has to agree our view of what goes on around us is narrow and subjective, and we can't always see the outcome of the actions of others. So maybe there is hope somewhere, that when these events happen, that there is an equal and opposite reaction somewhere in the universe :D What goes up....
 
I believe, those "nasty people who succeed" have a very powerful EGO, kind of : "I do not care about the others, I care only for myself". They know very well what they want in this life and this works in their favor.

What a good person has to learn is how to think about his/her aptitude in a domain and be convinced in his/her head to succeed in their plans. You should have a positive attitude in life, in order to succeed.

In an business enviroment, this will apppear as an agressive reaction. I'm not sure if we can be severe with a bussiness man. After all, he/she has no choice, than to be the best on the market.
 
This thread raises a lot of questions in my mind:

(1) What do you mean by 'prosper' - in only the material sense, or in a wholesome way that encompasses other important aspects of life as well? In the example of the spouse who gets custody of the children, is s/he truly at peace with her/himself after this episode, or is there a dissonance in self which drove her/him to this route?

(2) 'Prosper' in the short term or the long term? Going by the same example, will s/he have the long-lasting respect and love of the children, when they grow up and realise for themselves how they lost out on the other parent?

(3) Is only this kind of overt 'nastiness' the product of aggression? What about the subtly manipulative people who have a similar end, who smell like roses when you are about them, but are actually digging your grave in a pit of manure, and still act innocent when you suspect what they are up to?

(4) Can aggression itself be qualified as positive or negative? - E.g., the positive type of aggression which is needed to drive people forward to achieve their goals, and the negative type of aggression where you drive others forward and claim it as your own sole goal.

In the short run, such 'nasty' behaviour might get people somewhere where they think they want to be, but in time their bluff is called, and their limitations come to light or they have very few genuine well-wishers or very few people around them who trust them. "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time." I may not have quoted this correctly, but you probably got my drift.

Having observed in both my personal and professional life, and on a couple of occasions been myself the target of this 'nasty' behaviour, my conclusion is that:

Self-confidence, self-assurance and being at peace or in tune with oneself drive the positive quality of aggression while insecurity, inferiority complex and fear of appearing a public failure (in relationships, work, etc.) drive the negative quality of aggression, which is the basis of the examples of 'nasty' behaviour that are mentioned here.
 
brucegdc said:
Discussion over dinner tonight revolving around a person who is succeeding quite well by being nasty (it's a custody situation, where the one parent is actively poisoning the kids, and succeeding to the point where the kids don't want to see the other parent - and there's nothing the legal system can do), and segued into the general discussion of why nasty people seem to prosper.... the folks who take credit for everyone elses work, the ladder-climbing backstabbers, poisonous ex-spouses (spice?), etc etc...
Click to expand...

Namasté Bruce,

It puzzles me when I see how people can be poisonous and still be prosperous. I don't think it's fair, especially when we see the opposite--good, honest people scraping by in life no matter how hard they try. I think every major religion has also attempted to answer this question because it seems to contradict natural laws. I won't pretend I have the absolute answer, but here's my take on it.

First, we need to remember that everything in this life is not as it seems. We have all come on this Earth to fulfill a specific purpose (a "sacred contract" as coined by Caroline Myss and others) in a variety of ways. Perhaps the nasty parent you've mentioned needs to be nasty right now to learn more about himself or herself, and the children need that as well for some reason. Again, things are not always as they seem.

Second, I believe that the law of Karma will also come into play--if the parent is poisoning his or her children with lies, this charade will at one point cease. The children will eventually understand the lies that were told to them and then what do you think their opinion will be of that parent? This may take some time, yes, but lies and deceit will eventually catch up to the poisonous parent: he or she is bound to reap what has been sown.
 
Hi,

If by prosper you mean to have more money and power than others then I know a lot of people who have this kind of prosperity and they got it by exploiting and hurting other people.
These people are lonley, grumpy and have fragile marriages or are divorced.
There children hate them and have rebelled and use drugs or drink to excess or have even been in prison.
The only friends they have are rival business men or hangers on who will disappear when the money stops flowing.

Most people I know who have very little usually because they are the ones who have been exploited might complain about their lot but are a lot happier and have a brighter outlook on life and have loving families and lots of friends and usually live longer than the prosperous.

This isnt a hard fast rule but it is my overall experience.

The prosperous start off happy with nothing and end up with everthing they have ever dreamed of but they lose those they were getting the prosperity for and so have no one to share it with and so it becomes worthless.

You only need enough money to survive, anything beyond that is only entertainment.
There is a lot we can get out of life without working and is free of charge and is worth more than money and power.

Friends are free and useful.
Enimies are expensive and useless.
 
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