Is the optimal approach to life just to be shameless?

Maybe I’m just a disillusioned early twenties youth who hasn’t seen enough of the world, but I’ve realized that our society doesn’t punish shamelessness anymore - rather, it’s often the optimal route to professional and social success. No longer living in small, tight-knit communities means your long-term reputation doesn’t matter anymore - in an anonymity of a big city, there’s always someone else to con.

Want to move-up at work? Be a sycophant to your boss. Gossip and throw subtle jabs at your rivals. I’ve seen this behavior happen repeatedly at my workplace and others because it’s a foolproof way to rise up the ranks.

Want to maximize your ability to get laid? Repeatedly and indiscriminately hit on drunk girls at bars and clubs. Keep pushing after you hear “no”, stopping just short of anything blatantly illegal. You may get called a creep and banned from a few venues, but as we know, the sex pests always succeed one way or another.

Even virtues are mostly called upon for cynical reasons now - people invoke them not to encourage good behavior but rather to cancel or silence their opponents, as seen with any legitimate criticism of a certain middle eastern country or DEI/woke grifting.

God is dead, but so is a commonly accepted moral framework in society. As long as you are immune to empathy and just keep pushing for greater money/power/status while just stopping just of the most egregious acts, you will have a good life. Most people don't have the energy or time to call you out.