Good intentions -- how much do they mean to you?

[Losty]

Well then you clearly missed the point of the analogy. I don't think anyone should stop being nice, I think people should start being smart. There are more important things in life than wanting to help people (especially people who haven't asked for help) and I would wager that thinking your actions through before doing them is one.

If someone's standing at the edge of a cliff be smart enough not to slap a mosquito off their back. It might have been nice if it wasn't so stupid.

You can't just start "being smart". People are already as smart as they could be. I really doubt it that there are more important things in life than wanting to help other people - it's what keeps society going.

I seriously can't think of any cases right now where good intentions hurt. They are almost always welcome and helpful. The more, the better. It's genuinely hard to screw up with a good intention.

For example, I have nothing but good intentions towards you right now. I find it hard to believe that counts for nothing.

But if you're willing to diminish it so much by comparing it to slapping a mosquito, go right ahead.

Wut O_o

I'm not comparing anything you do. I joined a general discussion.

I think I made it clear that I meant people should think things through before they do them when I said "being smart".

If you think good intentions never cause harm you're not paying attention.

IMO the average person does all things with good intention or at the very least some kind of intention that they have justified to themself as "right". Still, people cause harm all the time. We all do. We hurt each other physically and emotionally by accident and accidentally on purpose and good deeds gone wrong. This is a part of life. A person's good intentions, IMO, lose their value when that person is so thoughtless/careless that the majority of the things they do have a negative outcome.

I already gave an example of such a situation in this thread. Feel free to look back and find it.

[Excited Penguin]

You can't just start "being smart". People are already as smart as they could be. I really doubt it that there are more important things in life than wanting to help other people - it's what keeps society going.

I seriously can't think of any cases right now where good intentions hurt. They are almost always welcome and helpful. The more, the better. It's genuinely hard to screw up with a good intention.

For example, I have nothing but good intentions towards you right now. I find it hard to believe that counts for nothing.

But if you're willing to diminish it so much by comparing it to slapping a mosquito, go right ahead.

Wut O_o

I'm not comparing anything you do. I joined a general discussion.

I think I made it clear that I meant people should think things through before they do them when I said "being smart".

If you think good intentions never cause harm you're not paying attention.

IMO the average person does all things with good intention or at the very least some kind of intention that they have justified to themself as "right". Still, people cause harm all the time. We all do. We hurt each other physically and emotionally by accident and accidentally on purpose and good deeds gone wrong. This is a part of life. A person's good intentions, IMO, lose their value when that person is so thoughtless/careless that the majority of the things they do have a negative outcome.

I already gave an example of such a situation in this thread. Feel free to look back and find it.

 You alluded at an example, you never actually gave it.

You seem to be assuming good intentions is all people have. That is simply not true. People have bad intentions towards others all the time. That has nothing to do with whether they consider them to be wrong or not. No one will ever do something they consider to be wrong beforehand. That is simply impossible. You will necessarily think what you're doing is right if you're going to do it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be doing it. But you could at the same time have malicious intentions towards other people. We have them all the time, everyone of us, IMO. We may not like to admit the fact or think about it too much, but we do. There is no perfectly good person in this world. We just tend to focus on the good and disregard the bad, thus the illusion that this is not so.

Explicitly bad intentions are far worse than good ones. Your intentions tell me everything about what you're going to try to do next. Your actions devoid of those intentions might not tell me as much. In fact they'll rather confuse me absent of anything pointing to an intent.

[Losty]

It appears you're just arguing for the sake of arguing. I'm not sure how much of what you said is relevant. I haven't changed my mind about where I stand so I think we are at a standstill.

[Excited Penguin]

It appears you're just arguing for the sake of arguing. I'm not sure how much of what you said is relevant. I haven't changed my mind about where I stand so I think we are at a standstill.

Apologies for wasting your precious time with my nonsense. Would you like me to remove myself from this conversation as well, lest I say something irrelevant again and be argumentative for no reason like a stupid person or something?

[Losty]

It appears you're just arguing for the sake of arguing. I'm not sure how much of what you said is relevant. I haven't changed my mind about where I stand so I think we are at a standstill.

Apologies for wasting your precious time with my nonsense. Would you like me to remove myself from this conversation as well, lest I say something irrelevant again and be argumentative for no reason like a stupid person or something?

O_o

What is going on with you EP? Did someone pour vinegar in your attitude flakes this morning?

[Excited Penguin]

Apologies for wasting your precious time with my nonsense. Would you like me to remove myself from this conversation as well, lest I say something irrelevant again and be argumentative for no reason like a stupid person or something?

O_o

What is going on with you EP? Did someone pour vinegar in your attitude flakes this morning?

You know perfectly well what's going on with me.

So much for being an honest person, Losty. Curious I never thought of that.

[mlmooney89]

Ignoring pages 2-7 I'm jumpin in here cause that is what I'm good at (and it seems there is a bit of disagreement which I would like to avoid lol)

I think the idea of doing something with good intentions that turns out bad has a limit. Of course if someone tries to bake me a birthday cake and burns it on accident I'm going to hug them and be thankful that I have someone that cared enough to try. If they burn it every year I think I will tell them thank you but please stop since it doesn't seem to be their calling.

Pretty much people get a free pass once or twice for trivial things before it becomes more of a hassle that they should have learned their lesson from. As for bigger ones... say the husband is being sweet and driving the second leg of the trip to your honeymoon destination and as you are pulling up to the hotel he clips the drain thing and gives you your first flat tire on your truck that you have lovingly named "Big Hoss". You laugh it off and tell him he gets to change the tire but then you end up helping anyway. And when he says he feels bad about it ya shrug and say it was an accident so no biggy. No of course this didn't just happen this past week :p

[Losty]

/backs out of thread slowly O_O

[BrokenQuill92]

Ok So they're two different types of good intentions. There's the "I tried to make you a present and made a big mess" and "I assumed you wanted/needed something and got in your way". Now the sweet and mostly non damaging good intentions have pretty much covered. It's those road to hell good intentions we need to talk about. If I as a blind woman do not ask you for help, then leave me alone. Let me say it again: If I don't ask you for anything, leave me alone. It is so scary to me when a stranger especially a larger person simply grabs my arm and attempts to steer me in a direction I had no intention of going. Ask first if you think i really need help. But truly it's more helpful to simply myob unless I say "Excuse me sir/miss....."

[Edwardo Piet]

Intentions are an important part of communication. Caring about good and bad intentions is caring about honest communication.