Set the Example, Zero-Sum Thinking, & Self-Reflection
Wednesday Wisdoms for June 25, 2025
Mind Candy is a newsletter on practical philosophy and human flourishment—aka how to live “the good life.” Each month we tackle a new theme.
This month we’re exploring the theme of Morality.
Welcome to Wednesday Wisdom, our 3x3 Newsletter where I distill worldly advice for better living with 3 quotes, 3 observations, and 3 questions.
Set the Example
🤨 Quote
“Let us give in the same spirit with which we would want to receive – above all, generously, promptly, with no hesitation.”
Seneca
Source: How to Give
Observation 🧐
We all know what we’d like to see in the world. The majority of people don’t want to see hatred towards others, they don’t want to see constant conflict.
But yet, how often do we set the standard of what we want to see? How often do we complain about the way things are rather than make them the way we expect?
We say things like, “What difference will I make?” Or, “One person won’t change the world.” And then go about our day and complain about what we all witness.
But the fact is, we do make a difference.
People follow. They take notice. They rally behind things they believe in. Doing the right thing is contagious and does spread.
“Just like atoms bouncing off each other, our social interactions are constantly shaping who we are and what we do,” Jonah Berger writes in Invisible Influence.
If we want a better world to live in, we must first start with looking at ourselves and asking if we are setting the example we want to see in life.
🤔 Question
What are you doing to set the example for what you want to see in the world?
Zero-Sum Thinking
🤨 Quote
“Lose morality, and eventually you will lose liberty.”
Jonathan Sacks
Source: Morality
Observation 🧐
It’s easy in tough times to point the finger at someone else.
Life is not black and white. It is extremely complex. There often aren’t correct answers to some of the complicated questions we face.
But that doesn’t mean we should just throw in the towel on treating others fairly, or giving them the benefit of the doubt.
When we cement ourselves into political tribes, when we view the world from an us-versus-them stance, we stop seeing people as individuals and start see them as the enemy group.
By way of doing this, basic kindness falls to the side and we enter into a zero-sum contest where winner takes all.
But by doing so, we lose sight of the fact that we’ve now instilled true conflict into our relations.
And when we are in zero-sum contests, we stop caring about the other side and only care about winning.
🤔 Question
The next time you start thinking in terms of winning and losing, stop and ask yourself, what would this look like if neither of us lost?
Beneath the paywall this week we explore the wisdom of Anton Chekhov. Click below to support and get access.