Why does It feel like everybody is making absurd and short sighted decisions while fully aware of it and still they succeed.

Applying for a degree and not studying. Getting an employee with unfinished degree. Dumb relationships at a young age. Dumb fraud and schemes. You name it. And when you ask them are they aware that there can be consequences they just shrug their shoulders and go: "uuuhm...yeah I know might be". And somehow they end up fine down the line after doing the most stupid shit ever. Sometimes to be point I wonder how are they still even here? How? Do you all got similar experience? Maybe you have a story of some decisions that look very dumb in hindsight but you still got it now?