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Under the impression that you understand someone's true intentions including your own? Think again.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” ¹ – Proverb

"Hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works" – Alternative meaning

“If your intention is tainted by anger, selfish desire, a wish to harm or general confusion, this creates the causes to experience pain, unhappiness and misfortune in the future.” - Buddhist monk Ajahn Chandako

You protest, “I had no bad intention, I just wanted to prove my point!” OR “OMG! These people are so wrong – I need to show them what is right and help them to see!”

Really – see what? Have you somehow miraculously been crowned the new Judge of Humanity OR the Chief of Corrections Police? If you believe that then result will lead to ruined relations, possible retribution and on the spiritual end of things, Bad Karma (hey, what goes around comes around – right?) Maybe you need to get a clue because in reality you aren’t going to ‘rescue’ anyone or anything and be viewed a great savior. More likely you are going to be viewed as a pain in the ass and someone to avoid and who is talked about in a negative manner behind your back. Perhaps some brave soul will tell you to shut your pie hole. Maybe you will be man enough or woman enough to listen. Too bad statistics show that you probably won’t. After all, you have a job to do, right? It is your duty, right?

Obviously the underlying psychological factor of bad intentions is manipulation and the desire to feel superior. Rather than use constructive understanding when it comes to a situation, the goal is use some tasty bait to get targets interested, hook them and reel them in because maybe, just maybe there will be one mind that can changed. The whole thing becomes a game. Social Media platforms are a good source and example of this. The “good intentions” baiter will post a segment (often political) and wait to see how many fish can be hooked amongst those who disagree because those who agree serve no purpose except to boost the ego and buoy personal self-righteous intent. The intention is to change the minds of those who disagree and thus change their behavior. Often the ‘baiter’ will deny that they aren’t this, that or the other thing – just stating some thoughts about something that needs to be pointed out to acquaintances and/or the public at large. It’s all innocent with no mal intent and they have every right to state it. Uh huh.

Here’s a news flash baiters -

It doesn’t work. The only thing gained is the disgust of others and negative gossip. (Hey, humans are humans – it’s always tit for tat.) BTW – Moaning about it only being an ‘opinion’ and saying people don’t have to read it is moot. The intention for said ‘opinion’ wasn’t good in the first place.

If we want to get technical here, this all falls under cognitive behavior. Human complexity has an enormous depth and cognitive distortions run high in all humans. No one is a thoroughly therapized human. Recognition of and admittance to bad intentions blanketed under a need to set things straight or make others see with self-righteous behavior can be difficult within a stubborn and obstinate mind. One might consider that the attention it brings is actually not worth it. It certainly won’t win you the popularity contest trophy that is so desperately desired. Becoming aware of one’s own core values and authentic goals is the only way to decontaminate ‘bad’ intentions cloaked as ‘good’ but that takes some deep inner work. Are you brave enough to take action and look within?

¹ Henry G. Bohn, A Hand-book of Proverbs, 1855