While looking at my notes for future blogs, I noticed this one: “Alignment between personal and group interests only possible if Empathy > Advantage”. This statement applies to all situations, like a family, relationship, sports team, study group, and at work.
Example: Why stay with [an employer] when you can increase your Advantage by quitting? If you replace employer by family, relationship, sports team, or study group, then the question remains similar.
Ultimately, the statement above is about our risk-reward decisions (my blogs). Advantage is similar to a reward while expressing Empathy towards someone contains a risk (eg, money, time). Usually, we will quit a certain situation when the risks outweigh the rewards (eg, break-up, dismissal, resignation).
Quitting may not be immediately. Often, we hope that our situation will improve: risks downwards and/or rewards upwards. It took me ten years to decide about breaking up my marriage. The day that I lost all hope, my doubts vanished, and my decision became final. Also see my blogs on Doubt-Fear-Hope-Love.
Our risk-reward decisions are rooted in two primal human emotions: Fear versus Love. Usually, we fear taking risks and love receiving rewards. Some of us love taking risks. All our other emotions are derivatives of either Fear or Love. Please see my 2016 blog for an overview on human emotions.
The above translates in my diagram below.
Two quotes from the French writer François de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680):
– “Hope and fear are inseparable. There is no hope without fear, nor any fear without hope.”
– “We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.”
Chalk Dust (The Umpire Strikes Back) – 1982 – by The Brat
artists, lyrics, video, Wiki
Advantage McEnroe
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise.
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