None of this exists independent of environment. Mismatch your behavior to the environment, and you're screwed. People consistently compliment me for being "su

None of this exists independent of environment. Mismatch your behavior to the environment, and you're screwed. People consistently compliment me for being "such a nice guy." And I've made, and valued, many alliances with contemporaries. But the power brokers? They've screwed me right over. If you are unmitigatedly kind while hoping for reciprocity in matters essential to your own well-being. Well, either you are weakening yourself, or you are not really being "kind" by failing to respect the particular circumstances and the other party. Or some combination of these. People become less and less comfortable with you, and continued kindness is actually perceived negatively. Unmitigated kindness is another false, simplistic lesson that has been counter-productively fostered in recent decades.