Paolo, you frequently mention conventional thinking and self-understanding—can you clarify what you mean by that?

Alright, let’s bring it all together. When I talk about conventional thinking and own interest understanding, I’m pointing to two intertwined but fundamentally different forces that shape how people approach life, work, and their decisions.

Conventional thinking is that default mindset we’re handed by society, the idea that we should follow a set path—get a degree, find a stable job, climb the corporate ladder, and measure success by traditional markers like status or wealth. It’s a way of thinking that keeps people locked into routines and structures because it feels safe and predictable. People accept these norms without questioning whether they align with their deeper values or if they even make sense in today’s world. Conventional thinking is comfortable—it tells us, “This is how things are, and this is how they should stay.” It’s resistant to change, and it limits innovation and true self-expression.

Now, when I talk about own interest understanding, there are two sides to it.

On one hand, own interest understanding in the positive sense is about rejecting that conventional thinking and diving deep into what you truly want, what drives you, what your authentic values are—not what society expects or what others define as success. It’s about realizing that true autonomy comes from breaking free of external expectations and living in alignment with your own vision, your own purpose. It’s about being honest with yourself, not conforming to what the world tells you is right, but instead reclaiming your personal narrative and charting your own course. This is where you stop playing by the rules handed to you and start living on your own terms.

But on the other hand, there’s the negative side of own interest understanding, which is where things get tricky. In this case, people think they’re acting independently, but they’re actually just aligning their personal interests with whatever benefits them at the moment. They convince themselves they’re making choices based on their desires, but really, they’re just playing into the system—conforming as long as it serves their personal gain. It’s self-interest that masquerades as freedom. People are willing to challenge the system up until the point where it stops serving them, but once their personal needs are met, they stop questioning, stop pushing boundaries. They settle for comfort as long as it fits their interests, and they mistake that for living authentically.

This kind of self-deception is dangerous because it creates the illusion of autonomy. You think you’re in control, you think you’re acting according to your own values, but in reality, you’re only moving within the confines of a system that rewards you for conforming. You’re not challenging the status quo—you’re going along with it because it works for you at that moment. It’s a passive way of living, a compromise dressed up as freedom.

So, in the positive sense, own interest understanding is about deep self-awareness, rejecting convention, and living authentically. In the negative sense, it’s about using personal interests as an excuse to conform when it’s convenient—only challenging the system when it stops working for you.

In the end, conventional thinking keeps you stuck, and the wrong kind of own interest understanding tricks you into believing you’ve broken free when you haven’t. True freedom comes from recognizing these traps and pushing past both—aligning your life not just with what benefits you, but with what truly resonates with your core, with what challenges and stretches you beyond just comfort. It’s about rejecting the easy path and choosing the one that’s deeply, authentically yours, even when it’s difficult.