“We judge ourselves by our intentions, but other people by their actions,” said by someone once and then people forgot who and I can’t for the life of me find the source online… But this is a thing.
This week’s post is an exploration of intentions and actions. What side are you on? Do you think about this? I do. And info about this week’s interview and book giveaway, Gabrielle Blair - Ejaculate Responsibly. Ejaculate Responsibly is an extension of her viral NYTimes article with 28 arguments that will change the way you think about abortion. Not in a preachy way, in an “I never thought of it that way…” way. This week is a paid post, so if you want to be considered for the giveaway, just comment on the video post out later this week.
Growing up, intentions mattered. A lot. Actually often more than actions. The scale was dramatically weighted to one side. You could do something horrible, and within the explanation, all could be forgiven. Just understanding the “why” was enough to solicit compassion/empathy.
It was not until I married someone who had been raised with a flipped scale, valuing actions over intentions did I understand the statement, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I actually think I had not heard this phrase until I was 30. Their family valued the idea that actions were the only outward presentation you had and that other people’s ideas on how you acted were, more valuable to the community than your internal voice.
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