Frederic Bastiat wrote an article titled "That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen". This article dealt with the unseen effects of economic policy and it made a lot of sense to me. I recently read a book called "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. This book had a profound effect on me in that it dealt with the unseen effects of our actions and interactions with others.
What I discovered is that even though we may see our actions as positive, we may not be aware of adverse effects those actions may be having on others. The glaring example illustrated in this book is the US backing of Joseph Mobutu, the despotic ruler of Zaire for 30 years. We supported him because his opposition was thought to have Communist leanings and maybe he did. What we do know is that Mobutu used his power to enrich himself on the backs of the citizens of his own country, funneling nearly all the wealth of Zaire into his coffers, while nearly everyone else starved. All that we in the US saw is that we were keeping the Communists at bay, what was not seen was the despicable treatment of these people at the hand of Mobutu.
This brings me to my subject. In my day to day life, in the causes I support, in my politics, in the way I treat other people, what am I not seeing that could be harming or mistreating others? In our narcissism, are we leaving wreckage in our wake? I am not trying to get everyone to second guess each decision, I just think that perhaps we should step back occasionally and see what our actions may be doing to others unintentionally.
I believe there are those who would intentionally harm others to get ahead, but that being said, most people have good motives and intentions. Sometimes we become blinded to the adverse consequences our actions may cause because we are focused on the consequences we are trying to bring about. Let's broaden our focus to ensure we are doing good things for everyone, not just for ourselves.
