I find it preferable to live my life according to that principle, personally; the concepts of "survival of the fittest" and "to the victors go the spoils" make sense to me, on a general scale, and they can also be traced back to Equivalent Exchange, in a way. All receive exactly what they deserve; one's reward is the result of one's work.
However, I'm saying this as an alchemist, and many things in Amestris are centered around alchemy and those who can perform it. Life is easier for us than it may be for others, for various reasons - we're in a very privileged position, in comparison to those who aren't capable of practicing it at all. Life often does adhere to Equivalent Exchange for us, but I've been told by someone from Amestris that isn't an alchemist that things often don't really work that way for most people. Apparently the fact that we can hold that worldview is due to us being spoiled by our own society.
I admit that I hadn't thought of it that way before getting to know him. However, I can see his point, though I haven't looked into it enough to know if I agree or not. So I suppose the only way I can answer that is to say that it works for me in all aspects, but it might not for others. I can't say for sure.
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However, I'm saying this as an alchemist, and many things in Amestris are centered around alchemy and those who can perform it. Life is easier for us than it may be for others, for various reasons - we're in a very privileged position, in comparison to those who aren't capable of practicing it at all. Life often does adhere to Equivalent Exchange for us, but I've been told by someone from Amestris that isn't an alchemist that things often don't really work that way for most people. Apparently the fact that we can hold that worldview is due to us being spoiled by our own society.
I admit that I hadn't thought of it that way before getting to know him. However, I can see his point, though I haven't looked into it enough to know if I agree or not. So I suppose the only way I can answer that is to say that it works for me in all aspects, but it might not for others. I can't say for sure.