One of the most important skills necessary for having a happy life is the ability to simultaneously recognize an opportunity, and,
- the likely nature of the subjective experience of the action, should the opportunity be taken,
- the subjective experience of the immediate consequences,
- and the subjective experience of the long term consequences.
The tendency is to see only one side of the experience, either ignoring the pleasant or the painful side. But without seeing both the pleasant and painful sides of the consequences of an action, there's a great danger that an action will be taken without consideration of all the consequences.
There is also a tendency to focus on one's own subjective experience, but the experiences (immediate, short, and long-term) of other people are just as real. Christians need compassion in order to follow Jesus Christ's commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself."
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