You've heard the argument — typically from some vocal zealot
short on any other merit to support his position.
"We should do this thing even if it
only benefits one person in a thousand."
Thus, highway speeds should be
lowered to 35 MPH, if only to be justified by saving one more life.
Church doors should never be locked, if only to save the soul of one
midnight sinner otherwise lost. No idea should go unheard in a
brainstorming session, if only to allow that it may be that one in a
thousand which turns out to be a moneymaker.
The problem is that none of these
arguments takes consequence into account. For every choice, there
is a sacrifice: A choice not made, no longer available.
Refusal to consider consequence does
not negate the fact that lowering the speed limit will impact all sorts
of lives, in all sorts of ways. It may save one life in a thousand. It
may also impede commerce to such a degree that other lives are lost
because food, medical supplies, and disaster relief cannot be delivered
timely.
An empty church that is left unlocked
is at high risk for vandalism and looting, consequently leaving it
unusable for an entire congregation. Hire security? That may come at the
expense of missions programs. Or existing staff could simply be assigned
"watch" duties — if you're open to burning their candles at both ends.
If you've ever been in a free-for-all
meeting sans intelligent governance, I don't need to tell you how
quickly the intellectual and emotional contributions of your real horses
will be snuffed by unbridled flights of fancy.
Of course there are some ideas that
are bad even before they've crossed the speaker's lips.
Time has value. Things exist
as they do for reasons. All change comes at some cost.
It's not unkind, closed-minded, or greedy to acknowledge this. On the
other hand, the "if only for one in a thousand" conversation-stopper
seems to me very much all of these things.
If a solution is truly the best,
right way to go, then show all of us the respect of doing the homework,
organizing a case for it, and making an argument based on real people,
in a real world.
Show us real understanding of the
sacrifices and consequences that are to be imposed on others.
Truly good ideas and needs which must
be met rise by their own merits, sans hyperbole.
