Conflicting Life Strategies

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I often wonder what the best life strategy is. Complex Systems and experience taught me that tit for tat is the best survival strategy. However, it is in direct conflict with what I learned from Gandhi i.e. an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Do I have to raise my consciousness to the level of Gandhi to live by "be the change you want to see in the world" (another lesson from Gandhi)? What do you think?
 

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