Good intentions without action are meaningless

You can have all the good intentions in the world, but they’re still worthless if you refuse to take action because you’re afraid, lazy, or simply don’t know how to.

That’s not to say that behaving according to your values is the easy thing to do. On the contrary, it’s much easier to say how others should carry themselves rather than doing so yourself. Yet, you should hold yourself to the same standards as you do others.

Good goals can still lead to unwanted consequences

Hell is paved with good intentions. Just because you want to do good for the sake of others doesn’t mean that there can’t be unwanted, or negative outcomes either.

It’s not always what we say that’s most critical, but even more important is how we convey that message. Even when we do everything right, people might still take it the wrong way. Life’s unpredictable. Times change, and people transform. Not to mention that what others do with the information and help they’re given is up to them.

Still, if you truly want to assist someone, then you should be mindful of how to approach and deliver your message. Humans aren’t exactly sensible. Not at all. We’re irrational, and strongly influenced by our emotions. That’s true for even the most reasonable individuals.

People are inherently lazy

We’re often more lazy than we like to admit. Perhaps because we like to think of ourselves as being better than we truly are, or because the ego that we’ve formed over the years desperately tries to protect itself from anything that tries to “attack” or dispute our beliefs.

Perhaps this laziness is a leftover from times long past when food was scarce, and hence, so were energy sources. That means that not using any unnecessary energy can be considered a survival mechanism. And squandering too much time on subjects that don’t matter all that much to our immediate survival isn’t all that beneficial. Especially not if we worry about things we can’t change anyway.

We are imperfect

Nobody is perfect. Hence, just because we start with good ends in mind doesn’t mean that we can keep them, or live up to them.

Talk is cheap, and the easier part of the two compared to doing the right thing, even when it’s hard. Still, that doesn’t mean that doing what’s challenging, even when the temptation is there to take the easy way out, doesn’t offer any benefits either.

It’ll teach us to become tougher, how to delay gratification, and how to persevere in the face of hardships. Ultimately, that’s what’s life about, since it isn’t always rainbows and butterflies.

Good purposes can become corrupted

There’s this popular quote that says, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain”, which conveys that sooner or later, everyone will become what they first despised. And there’s certainly some truth in that.

Events that have been bothering you for too long, even though you detest them, can make you angry, cynical, and even vengeful. All the very things you despise and want to prevent yourself and others from becoming.

Being constantly surrounded by negativity can become so stressful and exhausting that we become lesser versions, and even a shell of our former selves. That’s why we should make it a point to wind down regularly and make time for enjoyable, tranquil activities. Think of endeavors such as gardening, reading, and exercising.