I've done stupid things and smart things. Good things and bad things.
The outcomes seem to have no correlation whatsoever.
That's a bit disappointing to someone who wants to do smart, good, things and have life work out accordingly. But reality is what it is.
This is also why "pragmatism" fails. You can't know how something will turn out based on your actions, be they pragmatic or idealistic, so do the right thing.
Even if things don't turn out well, at least you didn't do the wrong thing, believing it to be more pragmatic.
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