Tom Major’s Rule of Thirds: One third of the people are basically good, decent folks. One third aren’t worth the DNA they’re printed on. And the other third sort of float in between.

— TK Major

One day in the early 1980s, what I’ve come to call Tom Major’s Rule of Thirds struck me while reading about the man-made tragedies of that moment. (I know, all tragedy by definition is man-made; don’t start with me.)

Here’s an alternative, perhaps less poetic version…

• One third of people are basically decent, ethical, well-meaning, fair-minded.
• One third of the people are basically out primarily for themselves, driven by envy, fear, greed; they will do whatever they think they can get away with to get what they think they want.
• And the other third float in between, sometimes moving one way, sometimes the other.