In Today's World, One Must be Tough and Principled to Get Ahead Morally
But not financially (sellouts)
Recent: Better Outcomes When Facing the Discomfort of Conflict
In immoral societies, people get ahead for tribalism and cheating. Consider the term "low performers"; many of them are in fact law performers, i.e. they insist on the law (social codes also). They prefer to do what's right, just, and scientifically true. They don't "fudge" results or mob colleagues (e.g. catfights, rumour mongering) to get ahead.
In the classic "Back to the Future" (before the franchise went Wild West and lost its way), Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) tried to teach his own dad to confront the bully and in turn attain better outcomes in his life, not limited to wealth but also aspects like happiness and love.
The subliminal message or the moral story was, stand up and fight, don't be submissive or succumb to immediate comfort (e.g. in the face of bullying or temporary disappointment).
Only yesterday we wrote about the attacks on RMS, who is one of the most principled people I've ever met. 40+ years after leaving his job he's still fighting the same battles and sticking to the same moral compass. It is expected that the FSF's public support of its founder will improve its financial standing (money lost every year since attempting to distance themselves from him). Considering this winter's fund-raising success, it'll be back in the green (or blue) for the first time since 2019.
It's not always the easy way to insist on principles. It's usually the hardest way (e.g. when someone says you must buy a "smart" "phone" or lose 'xyz'). But over the long run, yes - the long run - people will remember how you decided to "stick to your guns" when it was least convenient to do so.
The world has gotten more difficult in many ways (environmental is one of many, e.g. water shortages), conflicts follow hardships, and the media - or what's left of it - is gaslighting "the masses". Truth is fast becoming a scarce community and principles are considered a luxury. █