I should start doing drugs, this is pretty well-constructed
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Well, liars, cheaters, thieves, corrupt people are living among us, and some of them are doing quite well with their lives.
It seems it's not in their best interest to be good since that's not what they're doing, many of them would let out an evil laugh at the idea of being kind, compassionate and empathetic.
Their rationale is usually along those lines: "Life is a struggle, you got to get what you want while the getting is good! Who cares what you do, none of it will matter in a thousand years anyway."
It's their best interest first and often, it works out for them, sort of, if you don't dig deeper. Often, they're not ostracized, because there are not enough people around them who are good and strong enough to put them in their place.
Being evil can make you quite powerful, and people who are good and harmless (weak) won't dare to do sh*t to scare these people back into a corner.
Therefore, not only do they think that being evil works, they also think that it's what intelligent people should do, since no one is there to tell them that they're pieces of sh*t.