This is an empirically derived rule which is not exactly quantitative. Nevertheless, it is thematically accurate and conveys much about human behaviour. The rule states:
99% of people think about themselves 99% of the time.
This means they have a “what is in it for me” orientation and are primarily concerned what effects things might have for/to/on them. Though they may beg to differ, they are not really interested in others.
When I have revealed this arcane and secret rule to people, many have been dumbstruck.
People used to come to me with concerns about how others viewed them. I said that according to the rule most were so self-obsessed that they would not really waste time thinking about you, so don’t let it bother you what you imagine that they are thinking about you. People are so busy trying to “sell” a version of themselves to others and worrying how they are perceived that they do not know how to be natural. They have little time for others because 99% of their time is already taken up.
Because of the 99% rule, one can do acts of magic, which nobody notices. Their CPU is full. They cannot compute. There is no headroom.
The 99% rule is causal of complacency and as a consequence a lack of foresight. It means that the unexpected is always a surprise and that there are many inconceivable things in the universe. Things which do not pertain to the endless circle line “do loop” cannot be conceived or accepted. They do not compute.
It suggests that the notion of “I” dominates the minds of the vast majority. It is the lens through which things are perceived and worlds “cognitively” assimilated. It is the rule of the little self. It has another variation, which is also applicable in the majority of instances.
99% of people think only about themselves 99% of the time.
Traou an Dour 