Article 1 - "THE WIDE ANGLE WAY" by Jessica Kuzmier September 2007 edition of First Church of The Streets

     The impact of one's actions can last well past the moment of decision. Unfortunately, the full effect of what chooses to do at any given time may not be readily apparently. Something may seem like a good idea at the time, but in the long run prove to be fruitless. "Young people" are very frequently accused of not having foresight into their actions. But this lack of judgment applies to all age groups; witness how foreign policy decisions lead to all out war, and how financial decisions lead to ruin. In addition, not all these bad decisions are made rashly. Many times, the worst decisions are made after careful deliberation. The Holocaust and other incidents of genocide are examples of this. Supposedly, the ethnic cleansing of one group benefits another group. In the aftermath, one can see the destruction wrought, and yet many make the same decision again to exterminate a misunderstood people. Clearly, even with extensive planning, grave decisions are made in the name of glory.

     The Preacher discussed this phenomenon when he proclaimed this truism: "Even when a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and shows everyone that he is a fool" (Eccl. 10:3-4). Even if one makes plans, wisdom isn't a prerequisite. The idea that as long as one makes plans, one has foresight is an accidental trap that can be easy to fall into. After all, the aforementioned "young people" seem to fall because they don't have the judgment to see the result of their actions. The diagnosis behind all of this usually is given as impulsiveness, the idea that young adults just go ahead and do something and then have to face the consequences of this behavior. The antidote to this malady seems to be to make plans. Make a plan, and then you're less likely to get into trouble than if you just go ahead and do something.

     Seems to make sense, except the operative words are "less likely". One can make all the plans that he wants, and yet wind up with a bigger mess than when he started. Why is this? Plans should seem to forestall danger, at least minimize the damages wrought. One making a plan, with thought and precision and understanding, should be able to forestall any damages that a decision wreaks. Why would beginning a business to service a village wreak extensive environmental damages, why would providing education to people make them angry at the educator, why would a vow taken in love after years of courtship end up in violence? Obviously, the above incidents are examples that are fairly common occurrences. There was care going into plans for a marriage, civic education or an economic boom. Yet it still ended in disaster.

     Plans themselves are not necessarily an indicator of wisdom and foresight. For example, a person may have her own agenda when she approaches a situation. Maybe she wants to be married because she feels it is the last chance for her to have a child within wedlock. Maybe he was so excited at the vision of a business that he failed to see how his livelihood would impact the local environs. Maybe an educator, meaning well, forgets to incorporate that the person she is educating comes from a different culture than she does; she forgets that a fellow human being may resent being told that his culture is inferior to hers and thus must be indoctrinated according to her standards. In other words, the plans only took chronology into account, or were married to an end result as though it was somehow definitive. The plans failed to take into account what would happen if things went seriously wrong.

     A more egregious breach in the social contract occurs when the disaster is exonerated, or "folly ..... , set in great dignity" (Eccl 10:6). Bad policy decisions leading to war are justified in the name of security, the polluting business is seen as a boon to the economy or the shareholders, the bad marriage celebrated because "at least she finally found someone before her clock stopped". This blindness to disaster is denial that thinks that somehow pithy platitudes will cover a multitude of errors, and rationalizes criticism as being negative thinking of a grumbling loser. Peace activists criticizing the American conflict in Iraq have been accused of undermining the troops, or of even being unpatriotic. Those questioning the polluting business are deemed as being against progress and "more for toads than people". A concerned friend questioning a person's bad marriage may be seen as jealous. All in the meantime, the insane behavior continues and nothing seems to be able to stop it.

     Folly itself is many things. Pure foolishness, evil. But in all of it, the lack of foresight seems to be prerequisite. One needs to see all aspects of the decisions a person makes, and not be so deluded as to think his good intentions is sufficient to fill in for this kind of foresight. Meaning well just isn't good enough, because meaning well, such as in the more extreme cases as genocide, can be an excuse to be in love with one's own ideas and ego. In the case of genocide, one can then rationalize the darker side and pretend it is something good for some select group of people. Without the lack of insight into one's motives and reasoning, one can come up with all kinds of plans that are total insanity. Without this insight, one can hear a plan and allow himself to be manipulated by something that works well in the short run by playing into his own prejudices, of which he rationalizes away as "personal values", such as "just doing my job" or "sticking with one's own kind".

     Individual rights, dreams and plans are wonderful and of value. Without them, creativity would stagnate, and people would become nothing but drones without personality or flavor, their souls withering away. But without an understanding of how one impacts others in the world around him, and without value of those around him, plans can become nothing but a nuclear bomb that destroys the entire world. To avoid plans that lead to disaster, one must consider all things around her, or else her plans to save the world do nothing but cause more destruction.