I don't generally have a very high opinion of humans (myself included). I think we're all heavily inclined towards being short sighted, irrational, selfish and easily bored (especially once our basic needs are met). It may be tempting to dismiss that as a projection of my own issues onto others (since I certainly consider it an apt description of myself), but there's plenty of objective evidence to back up my perspective (I highly recommend Danny Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast & Slow" on this topic).