Lets play two truths and a lie.
My father nearly killed multiple people because he was trying to be helpful. Good intentions are worth shit. Either execute, or mind your business. Attempting to force help upon someone who does not want it is arrogant. Best case scenario, arrogant helpers make someone’s life more complicated. At worst, people die.
For a while when I was a kid, each Friday we would drive out to the farm and stay out in the country for the weekend. We were just getting into the suburbs in his old, beat up, boxy truck when he noticed two deer in the median. He quickly pulls the truck into the emergency lane as rush hour traffic speeds by. I wonder what the hell he is doing as he catches a break in the traffic, and runs into the median. His long red hair flowing behind him. Sprints toward the deer, forcing them to cross the busy southbound lanes. Several people lock up their brakes, and one tiny Ford Fiesta goes barreling down the median to avoid an even worse accident. The deer manage to cross unscathed, and he runs to check on the people in the tiny economy car. My father crosses back and hops in the truck with a smile on his face. Well, all he had were a couple of brown bottom teeth left at this point. His gummy grin said that he had done a great thing for the deer, and the world. I saw this for what it was, and begged to differ.
Last Spring I was going down a US Highway, and saw a box turtle crossing. I pulled into the next drive, crossed the highway, and ran toward the turtle in the ditch. Heard a car coming as I got alongside it and had to wait. Stood there observing the little pokey armored creature, and watched the passing car smash the thing I wanted to save from an arm’s length away. I threw my arms up in disgust and cursed. Cried for the rest of the drive. Of course, I blamed myself, because I’m an ego freak. The person driving was most likely observing me in the ditch instead of the turtle I was trying to save, therefore killed it right in front of me. That could be the truth, but I’ll never know. You’d think I’d have learned from watching my father nearly kill several strangers. However, this was an animal already in the road on a highway with a lot less traffic.
I’m still messed up over this perfect microcosm of life. You try to do something good for the world, but the rest of humanity keeps happening. They’re blind to your intentions.
I heard a story once about a woman who stopped her car in the middle of a highway to help a turtle cross. She did so in a blind curve, and a family smashed into the back of her car. A member of the family died in the accident. The woman was so distraught from this experience that for the rest of her life, she purposefully ran turtles down as they crossed to prevent anyone from making the same mistake. Sacrifices to try and appease the universe for the side effects of good intentions and poor execution.