Intent

Intent

The other day one of my coworkers dropped a very heavy box on the toes of my right foot. I have an ingrown toenail on the big toe of that foot. For those who haven't experienced this particular pain, imagine the dentist hitting a nerve while drilling your tooth without Novocain. It was such a pain that came over me; going from, off the scale, all enveloping agony, to a dull throbbing pain. A few minutes I wish never to relive.

I was, to say the least, very angry with that person. But being a fair-minded person, I asked him what he thought he was doing. He explained that somehow he believed that he was helping me by moving the box but that his hands had slipped as he anxiously attempted his service and, well, sorry.

Okay, I can accept that. His intention was good. If he had dropped the box on me on purpose and had the nerve to say so, my response would have been very different.

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." I have heard the saying many times but I have never understood it for sure. I think it means that if you are trying to do good but you fail, you didn't do good so you go to Hell.

I think that if you try to do good often, you may succeed at it many times. So even though you fail many times, you are still a good person who deserves respect. Our world bases too many final decisions on the outcome and not the intention. I'll take a person who tries to do good and fails over someone who lies and cheats to achieve success!

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