We all care…some more than others

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. We humans somehow can find a way to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Intrinsic instincts to seek balance and knowledgeable patience in solving the nation’s problems are too often overcome by egos and ill informed certainty. Because it is popular does not make it right is seldom used as a brake. Because we care seems to be an all-encompassing free pass to everything from public policies to just plain mistakes.

Because we care seems to be especially abused by politicians and by those espousing their narrow cause. The usual lines sound like it’s for the children, or it’s for the future. One narrow cause we hear from often is that of environmental lobbies. What was well intentioned and benign decades ago has often become taking over land without compensation up to taking over entire peoples ways of life. In all cases it is playing God in one routine or another. They always care, but that is too often the best of it. Then the law of unintended consequences asserts itself.

For the environmental people who care, Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is, says Barry Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.” Said another way, we people simply don’t yet know how to play God with the world. This should be a brake to most, but seldom is, it seems.

For the politicians who care, or use caring for political purposes, results count more than good intentions. Results can be both in outcomes and elections. Be careful, sometimes you get what you ask for.

For national leaders and diplomats, well, we respect all of them, some more than others. No one wakes up in the morning saying they want to do a bad job that day, but good intentions and caring count less than what is good for the nation as a whole, and not any more narrow interests or popular opinions of the day. Again, results can be both in outcomes and elections.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In divorce one spouse’s throwaway often becomes some one else’s prize. Caring is less an issue in this more rough and tumble aspect of human life. And so it goes in public policy where there is never 100% consensus for policies and methods, but often majority consensus for action with measureable votable results.

Caring shows the best about the human soul and the golden rule. When it is abused, or misapplied, that’s when things go horribly wrong.