"In all of mankind's history, there has never been more damage done than by 'someone who thought they were doing the right thing'."
Rob
Sorry to interject, but I must protest. I don't think this is even remotely clever or quotable. It's sort of emotional and psychological blackmail aimed at anyone who prefers to act on convictions, or who acts with confidence. Am I, or is anyone, expected to believe that there are such noble people out there who actually think, "Hey, I feel like I'm doing the right thing, so I better not, and instead do what I think might be the wrong thing, because that might cause less damage." ?
I regard this one as being even more silly than Nietzsche's famous "Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies." Like I said, and have always said, though actually I like Nietzsche for the most part, and have been influenced by his writings, that this is emotional and psychological blackmail, and it's really easy to say, while also being impossible to live up to, since I imagine Freddie must have had some amount of conviction in his numerous aphorisms and his plethora of books. Let's not forget, here was a man who said things like, "Why my books are so good," and lovely egoistic things such as that. He was at his best when he was confident, and when he wrote with conviction.
I think you are misinterpreting that quote. It does not say that all people doing what they think is the right thing are doing damage. It points out that most damage in history was done by people who thought they were doing the right thing. The Roman destruction of Carthage and slaughter of its citizens was considered by Romans as a good thing for Rome. Pol Pot thought he was creating a utopia in Cambodia, killed millions. Popes had untold numbers slaughtered for the glory of Christianity. etc., etc. I can't think of any of the great slaughters and mass destructions in history that wasn't led by someone doing what they thought was the "right thing".
No, I don't believe I have misinterpreted it.
There are how many
billions of people in the world? Now measure that against the millions and countless millions of crooks and criminals and evil people alive today as well as those who were tyrants and warlords and and dictators and just plain baddies from the past.
Do you suppose you can tally up the number of people who act on the belief that they are doing the right thing every single minute of every single day all over the planet? All the scientists, doctors, surgeons, fireman, policemen, teachers, professors, pharmacists, merchants, people in business, in the armed forces, etc.
Or, to make it even simpler, can you name even one thing you did over the last week that you consciously thought was wrong thing to do, not out of self-indulgence, which we are all guilty of and which is natural, but out of a sense that "Oh boy, people can cause a lot of damage when they act, thinking it's the right thing to do, so maybe I better do the wrong thing, and see how that works out instead?"
Of course not. More often than not these nicey-nice sounding platitudes are just things that are easy to say but on examination make no sense.
As an example. There was a young lady I know who was arguing against the 2nd amendment, and she said, thinking it was clever, "Kill me with a rock, not a Glock.", having forgotten that being killed by a rock is a far more brutal way to be murdered than with a clean shot to the temple. When I asked her if she thought public stonings were a more merciful means of execution than a simple firing line, she change her thinking.
Not that I like guns. Never owned one, and I hope never to have to own one.
