Dear Friends,
It seems to me, elites have an idealist mindset of win lose. The idea of win win is alien to them. When speaking of the Ukraine war, all those with the public’s ear can say is, “Ukraine needs bargaining chips to force concessions from Russia.” Which shows a complete lack of understanding of human nature. There are things Russia wants more than winning a war, that’ll saddle it with responsibilities it doesn’t have the wealth or manpower, to squander on. Our elites however, can only think in a binary way… win lose. No matter how many lives it costs, they must be spent, to get that bargaining chip… so they can win more concessions. Win lose also applies to matters public as well as international. The government must always win and the public must lose in every interaction. Illustrating the weakness of government.
Idealists think in terms of win lose, while pragmatists think in terms of win win. Government however, is an arena where win lose is the norm, and so it draws those with that mindset. Idealists for example. People who are binary in their thinking. There’s an ideal and then there’s everything else. To them, only the ideal is allowable, even if achieving it kills everyone on Earth. The idealist mindset allows one to believe an ideal is worth any atrocity. Meanwhile, a pragmatist seeks to gain, even if the other side gains… and if not gaining at least cut the losses. A pragmatists keeps a foot behind to catch herself if the rope lets go. While an idealist pulls with both feet forward. If the rope breaks or the load suddenly releases, the pragmatist catches herself, while the idealist goes flying.
Elites that have to win at any cost are willing to bleed a nation dry of its youth…while capitalists, who must be pragmatic, cut their losses. The idealists that run our nations have goals that must be met. Whether or not those goals make any sense in the real world. They’re ideals and as such must be striven for. Without hesitation. The goal of socialist equality of outcome is just such an ideal. Equality of outcome, (an ideal) flies in the face of the Pareto distribution, (a law of nature). Making socialism, communism and fascism all idealist dreams, that can never come true in the real world. Instead, their implementation results in human suffering, far exceeding even the state of nature itself. If a lion chases you down and eats you, it’s not personal, but going to a Gulag is.
The win win mindset is a profit based system of thought. It seeks to maximize profit at cost to later losses. While a con may make a ton of money today, it pollutes the well for later interactions, an unaccounted for loss. Even as a good salesman will sweeten the well for later sales. Which means his sales rise over time, while a scammer eventually goes to jail or is beat to death. A swindler maybe an extreme illustration. What about a used car salesman? You buy a jalopy from him and find the odometer has been turned back. How many future sales can he expect from you? That’s the acme of a win lose mindset. What about a different used car salesman, who gives you a good deal, fixes a minor flaw without question or charge, and sends you birthday cards? Would you buy another car from him?
Three kinds of people need to win, idealists, bureaucrats and toddlers. If they don’t win… they throw a fit. Moreover, if you don’t lose, they feel cheated. Idealists are driven by emotion instead of reason. Yet use reason to rationalize their emotionally driven actions. People with a win lose mindset can only succeed in government and monopoly. Every other arena of adventure breaks the idealist. They thrive in government however. Becoming the elites that ruin the world. Win win is utterly foreign to an elite. Like cutting your losses after a bad investment. Idealists go all in. Falling prey to the sunk cost belief. That’s why nations go to war, and we go to court, or cut our losses. We’re pragmatic while nations are idealist. Which is why, pragmatically… government must be limited.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
