most problems are self-inflicted

Just heard news today that an acquaintance (who does not read this blog) is repeating a very unwise pattern of behavior that said acquaintance knows to be harmful and counterproductive. This is presumably why I heard about it only at second hand, since the person would rightly have expected a scolding and a warning from me if I had been consulted ahead of time. (It’s not an illegal activity, incidentally, just a rashly self-destructive one.)

On one level it was sad and frustrating to hear about this. But on another level it was useful, as a reminder that people are, by and large, their own worst enemies. If there are obstacles in your life, chances are that you yourself are the source of most of the obstacles. It can be an empowering realization. The person in question has a certain “the whole world is against me” attitude, but is actually quite talented, universally liked, and sympathetic– though ultimately self-subverting.