Conflict of Interest and Selfishness
It is the nature of Man to be selfish. This is for self-preservation and the survival of family and loved ones. Whenever a person's interests are threatened or encroached upon, he / she will do all it takes to protect those interests.That's why, whenever there is a conflict of interest, friends can become enemies. Yep. That's a cruel reality and truth of life. Whenever there is not enough pie for everyone, some will start to fight for bigger share than others and will resort to all tricks and means.
Of course, when the fights get fiercer, having bigger share of the pie is no longer enough. Soon, each will be fighting for the WHOLE pie. That's when parents and their children, siblings, relatives, friends, partners, business associates, etc. can and will become enemies.
The saddest but surest finale will be when one has "eliminated" the other/s or one has left the fight (though not necessarily a surrender). Because there can only be 1 person left standing, with 1 whole pie (eventhough by then it could be a badly damaged pie).
Before any partnerships or collaborations ever come to that stage, bear in mind that "for each his own" and especially true of personal interests and benefits. When conflict of interest arise, the war will start ... whether you like it or not.
Some people fight for power. Some people fight for money. But most fight for "face", directly or indirectly, whether they knew it or not. Dignity and self-ego is one of the biggest reason Man fight.
In the 21st Century, everyone advocates and shout about "WinWin" collaborations & cooperations instead of competitions. If everyone can take care of one another's interests and especially their "common" interests, then of course it will be a splendid way to do business and make money together. But unfortunately, regardless of how good or reliable a concept, idea or way of doing things ... it always go wrong.
Why? Because human beings are very unreliable!!! If a company suffers losses, the partners blame and fight against one another. On the other hand, if a company makes money, the partners will also fight against one another ... fight for a bigger share of the profit because of their bigger "contributions" towards the business venture's success. Yes, when a company starts making lots of money, even sleeping partners and relations of partners will suddenly want to meddle in the company's business. They want to make sure they can "conquer more territories" and "carve" a bigger share of the profits for themselves.
There is nothing wrong with Man being selfish and unreliable. That's human nature. Need not get personal or emotional about it. As Don Corleonne said in the Godfather, "It is nothing personal, strictly business". Accept that as a part of life and learn to live with it, learn to cope, learn to protect yourself.
posted by CityHunterGatherer @ 4:10 PM
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