Why people do what they do?

What bring out the best of people or worst? this is something I've been pondering all along... It is also somehting that is talked about in social circles, especially when you pick an individual either to praise or to insult.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject.

People as individuals bring out what they are at different times on the way they act towards the others, and the others perspective of what this person is all about will be according to the treatment they have recieved at the hand of that individual. A combination of all these observations will lead to the conclussion of what is best and worst about a person.

So why do people treat others as they do? I would say any individuals prime objective is survival. As much as I hate to admit it I have come to the conclussion that most actions of people have a vested interest in it (Financial, Political or a Social gain). Yet a good person is born when they chose to act in such a way that the path to gain will do no harm to another and a bad person is born when they dont give a thought to the consequences the others will face along the way.

But what if that person have no other choice in the matter and it will hurt some one else? or at least at the moment too occupied to notice that this will hurt another? and would have prevented it happening if knew? will that make him/her a good person or a bad one?

There are lot of sayings floating around saying that trouble in life bring about the best in you, yet it can also make you very selfish, you lern to put yourself before the others. At the same time when you gain financially and have come accross good fortune it can either overwhelm you and make you selfish again or give you the freedom enough to be the best person you are. So where do we draw the line? what do we do when you know that your close friend was driven to do what they had to do and they want to get back in the relationship you had because they do truly care about you? how do you know if they are not pretending to care? they are looking at some gain behind going back to the old relationship, which you do not see? How do you know if you are not doing it yourself? looking at a gain behind the same relationship? Where do we draw the lines between extreame selfishness, humanity & insanity? I wish I knew!