Friends are Electric

In days gone by, action was judged based on outcome. The why of the action was entirely ignored. No one thought about the why. No one cared. They were not thinking at that level. This style of living is not inferior or superior, just different.

We no longer behave this way. We, in the West especially, consider intention to be the highest truth. Giving isn’t seen as a good since there is an intention of getting something back. In the past, it wasn’t that this intention did not exist, it was that such behaviours were not consiously thought of. Even in law, we consider intention to be superior to the action itself. Intention can make or break a conviction. But intention doesn’t change the reality of the event, just the colour of our interpretation.

In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche spoke of moving beyond intention as the judge of action. His idea was that action, regardless of outcome or intention, was “good” if it was a conscious decision. That the intentionality, not to be confused with intend, of an action or event determines its value.

Clearly there is some overlap between conscious action and intent. Just as there is overlap between outcome and intent. One can consciously act with an intended outcome. Like much of Nietzsche’s though, such action required that those with a stronger will (will to power) should force theirs on those with less. Like much of Nietzsche’s thought, he was at the very least incorrect, and at most outright wrong.

There is some inherent value in purposeful action. Just as there is some value in the intent of an action. But only the outcome changes reality. We must not forget this last fact. What you intend does not change anything except how you justify it to yourself. If you think you are doing what is best for people, and the outcome becomes highly negative, then you will blame some outside cause beyond your control. Usually the complexity of people.

Know that what you intended to do does not change the nature of the world. Know that whether you consciously decided to do it or not changes things even less. In the end, the action and the outcome are what matter.

Even Zarathustra went under sometimes.