Bears Repeating: They Want To Not Pay More Than They Want the Stuff

I'm thinking about Dragon Quest 8 and how it's generally cheerful and pleasant. 

I'm thinking: why can't that happen in real life? Cheer and pleasantness is indeed greatly desired, at least on the surface. Answer: there are rules. To inhabit a pleasant place, you have to follow the rules that are harmonious with the desired resonances. They're not willing to follow the rules; they want a pleasant garden for free. If you point out they're breaking the rules - and making it unpleasant for everyone, and for rule-knowers in particular - they will blame you for not having a garden. 

Having ravaged the commons, they blame the folk trying to put up fences for the fact the commons have the properties associated with fencelessness. They blame barriers to ravaging for ravaging, because of course a ravager will do that exact thing.

You can explain this to them if you like. Go ahead, prove me wrong. 

 

You'll find the surface is indeed just the surface. Underneath they hate pleasantness and want misery.

The thing they like about free stuff is the free. The stuff is optional; merely a nice bonus. They will give up the stuff as long as being poor and/or starving to death is free.

And, by the grace of Gnon, so it is! Doesn't cost a penny to starve to death. Gnon will answer their prayers, and give them what the misery they want. 

Don't agree with them? Best to separate. You can't argue someone out of something they weren't argued into. They genuinely value decay and failure. Values are arational, pre-rational. Dying is who they are. If you don't like their aggregate intent, then your top priority is to get out of that aggregate, in the eyes of Gnon.