The road to Hell is paved with good intentions

Hi. I think it just means that merely having good intentions, without carrying any of them out, gets us nowhere! Lol. Like most sayings, one can see a grain of truth - but like all metaphors, it breaks down on closer analysis.

There's nothing wrong with good intentions in themselves - but nothing right with 'em either, without actual practice!
It's just a nudge towards action - nothing to take literally or fret over. 🙂

I agree with Starshower***, we all have good intentions all the time but somehow often other things get priority and good intentions never get actioned.

So, to me

"the road to Hell is paved with good intentions"

makes lots of sense. Once you have actioned the intention - you are off the road to hell!

Hi Reikiangel,

Well, you were confusing me! :confused: Because this was posted in the Christianity pages, there I was assuming that the quote was from the Bible, and yet I sort of knew it wasn't and I was right:

For some history:

And here's an "official" explanation:

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Merely intending to do good, without actually doing it, is of no value.

See - it's nothing to do with hell! 😉 (Not that there's any such place!)

Love and peace,

Judy

Thank you all for your responses! I agree with you Judy that I do not believe in a 'Hell'.
I think I was a bit confused because as a Reiki healer intention to do good for the highest good of all is very important so was only thinking of intention in that way lol. Starshower*** and Jobelle you have reminded me that intention can mean something else, ie I intended to do that but haven't gotten around to it!
My confusion over whether it was from the Bible is the fact that it has been Christians who have told me that I work with the 'Devil' and when I have said that I work with good intention I have had that phrase thrown back at me!

Thank you all for putting me straight

Love and light

reikiangel

xxx

I always presumed that it meant well-meaning people, when trying to help, can actually make things even more complicated!

e.g...someone offering you a lift but half an hour before you really need it, and then going the long way around which leads you to getting travel sickness lol, and getting to your destination at the same time as you would if they hadn't offered to help you! (that kind of thing always happens to me!)

it has been Christians who have told me that I work with the 'Devil' and when I have said that I work with good intention I have had that phrase thrown back at me!

Tell them that the road to hell is paved with condemnations.

Oh Reikiangel,

There is no "Devil" either so I wouldn't worry about it! 😉 Just love your friends, but you will have to "agree to disagree" with them, or perhaps part company. You don't need someone who doesn't understand, passing judgement like they do. But also, know that your friends are acting out of love, they are doing the highest they know how - they are trying to save you from eternal damnation or something (which also doesn't exist as God is unconditional Love itself!)

Hugs

Judy

Reikiangel, I'd tell them to mind their own business and organised religion is the root of evil anyway!

Again, Judy, I totally agree. 'Hell', Devil' Satan' whatever do not exist so I have no sleepless nights over them lol! I just tend to agree to disagree most of the time, others I disconnect my energy from them.

Thanks sarakeen for your comments too. I have treated a few Christian clients in my time and they have ALL commented on the fact that they had felt closer to their God during the flow of energy. Some have been quite annoyed by what I have called by others and have said that they are being judgmental which is not waht being a Christian is all about!

I have no problem with any religion, each to their own beliefs. I just would like the same courtesy!

Thank you all once again for taking the time to reply to my question

Love and light

reikiangel

xxx

Reikiangel, I'd tell them to mind their own business and organised religion is the root of evil anyway!

Sarakeen - I really have to object to that remark. 😡

You are lowering yourself to the same level as those you criticize.

People here know I don't often come out with harsh words, but to tar everyone with the same brush is not displaying fairness and integrity.

Judy

I believe it means even when people have good intentions, and carry them out, they can still cause a lot of harm and damage. As their intentions may not be based on wise or correct knowledge.

And hello everyone, this is my first post.

Hello Observer and welcome to Healthypages.

I think you are right in what you say.
People do base their decisions on good intentions, but what makes those intentions good? They base the "goodness" factor on judgment or ideas relating to their society, whether that is very localised (family etc.) or wider (for their country etc.). This is not necessarily making decisions for the good of all, which is really where people should put their focus (IMHO).

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Sarakeen - I really have to object to that remark. 😡

You are lowering yourself to the same level as those you criticize.

People here know I don't often come out with harsh words, but to tar everyone with the same brush is not displaying fairness and integrity.

Judy

I have to agree with you Judy. From my point of view - to tar everyone with the same brush and to "label" people and religions shows a certain immaturity. There are many practising Christains, Jews, Muslims etc who belong to an organised religion who do wonderful things - as well as the fact that organised religions do so much good in the world as well. I'm disappointed that someone sees fit to make an uninformed comment on a forum where there are members who do belong to organised religions as well as those who don't.

Can anyone explain to me what is meant by the phrase "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions"?. I have been having philisophical converstions with my friends, some who are Christians and this phrase confuses me. If our intention is to do good then why would that lead us to 'Hell'?

Hi reikiangel,

I don't know the root of this saying, but in my view it's a very poweful truth.

It means that the "evil" deeds that people do, they do from good intentions. It does not mean that one should not have good intentions, but that one should know/acquire wisdom and compassion.

Why would good intentions lead one to hell?

Because this is an evil world, the god of this world is the devil. This is stated clearly in the Bible. Shakespeare understood this well how this works when he put the words "all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death" in Maceth's mouth at the end of his life.

Lets look at some examples of how this works in practice:
1. A "healer" channels cosmic energy, "spirits" to heal a child - who then inadvertantly gets posessed by a demonic entity. The healer believed he was doing good, the child or his parents also thought they were doing good.

2. A cancer patient goes is referred to a hospital, where the oncologist recommends chemotherapy (believing that it will kill the cancer cells), the patient agrees (beliving that it will cure him), then dies from poisons admininstered.

3. You meet an "evil", muslim fundamentalist shouting "death to Bush". You ask him why he is saying this, a clearly evil thing. He explains to the crimes that have been done under Bush.

4. If you were to visit prisons, death row inmates and the like and ask them why they did the things that they did, what do you imagine would be the answer? Contrary to what you may imagine, they will all likely tell you that they did the things that they did from good intentions, because they felt that they were the right thing to do - or that they were compelled to do it from an addiction of some kind, a "posession" and don't even remember it.

No one, or hardly anyone, will tell you that he/she did it because they are "evil" and wanted to do "bad". If you were to examine the uncoscious motivations, you will find that no one except a mad person deliberately does something that he knows is bad or wrong.

The pattern is the same: good intention leading to the same result (which you could call hell).

Happening to know the true answer to all this, from personal observation, this vital insight on all human endeavour is indeed true. On my way to ... that place ... there was indeed a 'TM' mark stamped upon all the paving stones.

V

"unintended consequences"

Whatever the sources of this aphorism it reflects the factr that many acts are carried out with apparent good intention but really this good intention is none other that self deception: A veiled motive for power or influence or attention is commonly the real cause for an act that presents itself as philanthropic. Often these psuedo-philanthropic acts actually have "unintended" consequences that cause harm and may even betray the true selfishness of the originator's intention.

Often as others have pointed out an apparently well intended act is carried out without careful examination of how it will actually effect a situation. This case is consistent with the above case I've described because the actor is more concerned with satisfying their own need to feel they have done something than taking sufficient care to act in a way that actually brings benefit.

Again we return to wisdom and compassion, the mother and father of awakening.

Norbu