Your intentions matter


“We should often be ashamed of our finest actions if the world understood all the motives behind them.”
François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld
(French epigrammatist and moralist)

Yesterday, I had a lengthy discussion with someone in which I explained to him why, for me, it is more important WHY people do what they do, rather than WHAT they do. People tend to focus more on what others do, than on why they have done it, and I think that by doing this, your focus is misplaced. In this regard, one’s motives becomes noteworthy, whether it be constructive or destructive. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher, wrote in his meditations that our constant method should be to look into the design of people’s actions and that we ought to do this as often as it is practicable. He said that if we want to make this habit more noteworthy, then we need to practice it first upon ourselves. Even the renowned poet, W. B. Yeats, wrote something in this regard which adds to what Aurelius has said:

The Light of Lights
Looks always on the motive, not the deed,
The Shadow of Shadows on the deed alone.

Why do we need to look at the motives of people’s acts? Mark Twain gives the answer in saying that from the cradle to the grave, humans never do a single thing which has any FIRST AND FOREMOST object but one – to secure peace of mind and spiritual comfort for themselves. Lord Byron says that we are all selfish and that he no more trust himself than any other person with a good motive. I think he is a little bit too harsh, so we should ask ourselves, in the light of the above, whether we want to become people who should rather read between the lines than reading the text itself. I just think that people are too quick to condemn or judge others on their acts, without knowing why they have done what they have done. You may agree or disagree with me, I leave that for you decide, just try and think and ask before you judge the acts of other people, especially those acts and beliefs that do not fall within the comfort zone of your own philosophy, religion and world views.

Deeds are done daily, but with what intention?
This is the point I needed to mention.
If a good deed is done to you with an ill will…
will you appreciate such a deed still?


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