Virtual Utility

We naturally conflict with ourselves or with others because we want everything to be perfect, which is a “virtual” impossibility. As much as we may all strive to be perfect, we cannot remember a time where a quarterback completes 100% of all his passes, a CEO turns 100% profit every quarter, or where a set of parents raise the perfect children.

And until we reach perfection, which we never will, this cognitive dissonance of reality vs. fantasy leads us to one of the greatest paradox of our lives. We try to be so perfect that we become (i) more stressed, (ii) less productive, and (iii) stagnant. Therefore, in order to progress as a society we have to find a way to reduce the conflict. The solution has to (i) maximize the greatest good, while (ii) ensuring the sanity of our civilization.

Solution “Virtual Utility” - It Is A Simple and Elegant One: 
·Embrace the principle of optimizing utility- It tries to guarantee the maximization of the greatest good. Essentially, the greatest good can relate to individual efficiency, stemming from the direct outputs of laterally analyzing the context of different situations. This guarantees the comprehensive benefit for all stakeholders.
·Ensure virtue – Virtue is anything that tends to make someone a better person. Moreover, happiness is a “living” virtue that helps an individual flourish. Virtues help us control who we are and helps us develop (i) intellectually and (ii) spiritually. Ultimately, it is the rational and practical part of our souls.
·Reason– Reason is the essence of our virtues. If we can (i) control our attitude, (ii) logically direct our processes to reach our goals, and (iii) accept moral obligations, then we can cognitively develop a reasonable strategy for sustainable success and happiness.

Virtual Utility Refers To:
·Valuing the maximization of the greatest good.
·Ensuring that we do not become either (i) over-resourceful or (ii) wasteful. Productivity is only attainable through the realization of both effectiveness and efficiency. Therefore we must use (a) reason to ensure the fundamentals and (b) show emotion to capture philosophy. This principle is applicable amongst many spectrums (i.e. raising a family or running a business).
·Realize that due process is necessary. Although it may take resources, the proper balance of due process can ensure (i) safety, (ii) fairness, and (iii) overall productivity.
·Promotes autonomy and meaningful work. Freely chosen work, with proper guidance, would establish the right path for the optimization of our decisions.

Bottom Line: We all have the ability to reason, logically breakdown situations, accept merit, and condition our instincts to have “Virtual Utility”.