This and your previous comment are obviously false, and yet, if this is truly how you view the world, a self-fulfilling prophecy. In my experience, the only p

This and your previous comment are obviously false, and yet, if this is truly how you view the world, a self-fulfilling prophecy. In my experience, the only people that actually operate the way you describe are narcissists and sociopaths, which are not the 'average person' by any stretch (6% ish of the population?). I've been friends with the same people since fourth grade, no major shakeups, no one 'stole' anything in the 20+ years, we barely ever talk about work or 'opportunity'. Quite the opposite, whenever one of us was struggling, the others were always there to help out. We share joy when one of us does well. It's mutually beneficial, and I can't imagine going through life second-guessing every person's motivations, it sounds exhausting. When I do actually encounter a calculating monster like you describe (mostly at work in other departments), I just appease quickly in the encounter and then avoid them like the plague. It's quite effective.