We might worry that operating in a principled and compassionate way makes us vulnerable—vulnerable to those who are happy to trample others in their quest for success; individuals who don’t care what happens to the people they encounter along the way.
My experience is the opposite…
Living principles of fairness makes us highly sensitized to unfeeling and uncaring behavior in others, to the point where it’s very hard to suppress our reaction to a breach. The strength of our unconscious response seems to keep us safe from exploitation. The challenge is actually to channel the energy of our reaction enough to influence the unenlightened individual intelligently. Arguably, being truly authentic requires us to express our reaction and not just let it go.
What’s your experience? As a principled person, are you more or less resistant to others cutting across what you value?
Are you stronger or weaker?