Those thieves, looters, and cheaters are no different from you or me. We're all H. sapiens sapiens here. The only difference is culture.
My guess is that a culture that teaches that we are all thieves, looters, and cheaters will indeed find itself full of those characters. Meanwhile, a culture where profit and value are seen as compatible with human dignity and progress will find your view utterly alien.
The cool thing about culture is that it's opt-in by nature. You can adopt any culture that you find advantageous, or create your own. Most people don't take advantage of that fact, but it's still an option, and it's one that you should perhaps consider.
My guess is that a culture that teaches that we are all thieves, looters, and cheaters will indeed find itself full of those characters. Meanwhile, a culture where profit and value are seen as compatible with human dignity and progress will find your view utterly alien.
The cool thing about culture is that it's opt-in by nature. You can adopt any culture that you find advantageous, or create your own. Most people don't take advantage of that fact, but it's still an option, and it's one that you should perhaps consider.