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Good Intentions

“One of the painful things about our time is that
those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with
any imagination and understanding are filled with
doubt and indecision.” —Bertrand Russell

The highway to our current hell
was paved by those who all meant well.
They sit on high, self-satisfied,
and marvel at how hard they tried,
declaring they did all they could
to bring about what they thought good.

They sit atop the highest peak,
with pity for the unwashed weak,
and sip their wine while they behold
the faceless human clay they mold
through theories thought in their think tanks,
still puzzled when not one says “Thanks.”

Despite their effort and intent,
and all our money that they spent,
we scratch and claw to make ends meet
but more and more meet with defeat.
We’re isolated and afraid,
And vaguely sense we’ve been betrayed.

The very ones who are most sure
that they are selfless, wise, and pure,
do not possess the common sense
to see their own incompetence.
But if we’ll look, the wise stand out,
they are the ones who have self-doubt.

They doubt their own ability
to know what’s good for you and me.
But even when they know what’s good,
since they have sense, it’s understood
that things may turn out bad of course,
when good is done by using force.

So, when someone with good intent
inside our bloated government
makes changes that have vast extent,
with money that will be misspent,
through force that could be violent,
we know they’ll never make a dent.

.

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Warren Bonham is a private equity investor who lives in Southlake, Texas.

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19 Responses

  1. Joseph S. Salemi

    The epigraph by Russell at the start of this poem replicates what William Butler Yeats said in his poem “The Second Coming” —

    The best lack all conviction, while the worst
    Are full of passionate intensity.

    This is a strong and effective poem. It should be noted that in the last stanza the poet uses monorhyme to emphasize his point, as he makes closure.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Those lines from The Second Coming are spot-on. Thanks for drawing that parallel.

      Reply
  2. Brian A. Yapko

    Great poem, great message, Warren. Yes, the self-congratulating narcissistic social-engineering lovers of humanity on the left who are so drunk with faux compassion for those they infantilize that they’ll make us all the victims of their drunk driving. As you can see, I feel warmly on the subject. A great spotlight! Well done!

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      I like the drunk-driving imagery. In this case, I think they’re drunk on their own power.

      Reply
  3. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Warren, I am particularly enamored with how you treated the subject of incompetence in high places and the attitudes of elites that they are the self-aggrandizing arbiters of fate and circumstance as the narcissists they are. They do not choose to understand but rather seek to force their own callous precepts on the innocent and unwary. Excellent work!

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Thanks for the comments! I see no evidence that there is any sincere attempt to truly understand anything but there is a lot of evidence that callous precepts are being forced upon us.

      Reply
  4. Norma Pain

    “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions”. When it comes to the WEF, I question whether they have good intentions. Great poem and perfect rhyme and meter. Thank you Warren.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Great point about the WEF. It is very hard to see how forcing us to give up our property rights and eat bugs for nourishment can come from people with good intentions.

      Reply
  5. Cynthia Erlandson

    This is a truth we all know, very well expressed! “through theories thought in their think tanks” is really humorous, and the alliteration brings that out. “do not possess the common sense to see their own incompetence” is my other favorite line. Thanks, Warren!

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Thank you! Unfortunately, these people make it easy to satirize them.

      Reply
  6. Mike Bryant

    Warren, this poem is very well written and hits all the right notes.
    Of course, it’s not just the WEF.
    Rasmussen polled people with family incomes exceeding $150,000 a year, living in large cities, many of whom hold degrees from elite universities, 35 to 55 years old. Here are the results:

    * 86% are white, and 73% are Democrats; Just under half (47%) favor Bernie Sanders-style socialism.
    * 47% also say there is “too much freedom” in America.
    * 71% have a favorable opinion of the legacy media.
    * 76% have a favorable opinion of college professors (The rest of the country? Just 17% hold that opinion).
    * 67% (two-thirds) say teachers and other educational professionals should decide what children are taught rather than parents.
    * 77% would “impose strict restrictions and rationing on the private use of gas, meat, and electricity.”
    * 72% would ban gas-powered vehicles.
    * 69% would ban gas stoves.
    * 58% would ban SUVs.
    * 55% would ban non-essential air travel.
    * 53% would ban private air conditioning.

    It looks like the fix is in. These people run many of our institutions and especially since the Covid Operation, the top 1%’s share of the wealth has increased while the middle class is disappearing. It seems like there is a strange coalition between the richest and the poorest of the poor against the disappearing middle.
    Democrats are now pushing the CCP Social Credit Score nightmare.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Wow. Those survey results are worse than I would have expected. I don’t know how or when common sense disappeared, but we definitely have an overabundance of incompetence.

      Reply
      • C.B. Anderson

        The good news here is that these stats apply to only the top 1%. The bad news is that these people wield a disproportionate share of power.

  7. Phil S. Rogers

    Right on Target. When ignorant people with good intentions follow people whose intentions are not good, and are too blind to see the truth. Great Poem!

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      I’m not sure if you intentionally capitalized Target but that once fine retail institution is yet another example of good intentions run amok.

      Reply
  8. Margaret Coats

    Warre, this is excellent treatment of your topic of “good intentions,” because it is careful enough to bring up new perspectives in each stanza. We learn immediately that good intentions may produce bad results, but good intentions per se are not condemned. Rather, good intent is not enough without common sense AND the realistic wisdom to understand that the best plans may fail. No overarching reason for that, it just happens that way, and yours is a practical recognition. You do treat the errors of attempting to solve problems with money belonging to others, and with unjustly exercised power. When you re-cap issues in the summary stanza, I would conclude “We hope they never make a dent.” They probably will make some disfiguring dents they didn’t foresee, while not solving the problems they set out to tackle.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      That is a great analysis of the poem. Thanks for the careful read! I also prefer your wording for the last line. It does capture the idea better.

      Reply
  9. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Warren, your wise and adeptly crafted message is spot on in this age of know-it-all, my-way-or-highway scoffers steering society beyond the realms of sanity. Confucius was right when he said: “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” It’s a sorry shame that we live in a world chock full of experts. Warren, thank you for a delightful serving of eloquent commonsense.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Thanks for the supportive comments! Now that I’m old and have accumulated a fair amount of knowledge in a limited number of areas, I continually get reminded of how little I know even in those areas. We have way too many self-titled experts and way too few real ones.

      Reply

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