Vestigial hope

It's hard to believe that everyone is just doing the best he or she can.  It sure doesn't seem that way and yet I know that almost no one chooses to suffer needlessly.

So why do people do things they know have not worked in the past?  Why repeat and repeat and repeat the mistakes of old?

I suppose it comes down to that old idea of random reinforcement.  We are such creatures of hope that even one teeny tiny step forward is enough to make us believe what is being done will work -- this time.

I want to believe that -- to believe that it is a vestigial hope that pushes people to continue doing something that has little hope of achieving what they want, but I think it is often something else.

Fear of the unknown, the new, or untried ways is a real road block, or feeling bad feels good because it is the norm.

And the worst one of all is the thought that the desire to change anything or help someone is not the real goal, some people simply want to feel good so it really doesn't matter what happens in the long run as long as it feels good in the short haul.

How do I help people like that?  Why do I even try?

I suppose it is that old vestigial hope.

Or maybe love.