Intentions: The Road to Hell or a Moral Compass?

When you encounter one of the most significant black history pages in human history, you begin to question what most people are doing and specifically start questioning people's intentions more.

I visited Auschwitz Birkenau while on vacation in Krakow.

This was the largest concentration camp of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

It is estimated that at least over 1.1 million people died there.

It was a mass murder site.

A machine for human misery with the function of killing and scraping profit from it in the most inhuman ways.

Walking there, knowing what happened there is unimaginable, and it made me think of intentions, morals, and the cause of why people do things.

The purest intentions can do both harm and good.

So what we're going to talk about in this article is:

• Morals and your cause

• Norms

• The power of good intentions

There are a lot of spectrums to write about in these topics, for now, I've filtered out those because those were the topics that were wandering through my head the most after my visit to Auschwitz Birkenau.

All these topics are bound to one in this article, and that is intentions.

If you ever question your intentions or that of someone else, then this article is for you.

An intention is: something that you want and plan to do or an aim.

An intention can be bound to an action, to achieve that aim.

We all have intentions, but when are they good to have? And what are good intentions?

Morals And Your Cause

If you have intentions, know that they stem from something.

Writing this article, for instance, is with the intention of providing value, but also with the intention of reaching an audience.

This intention stems from my mission, to help as many people as possible to express themselves.

This is bound to my morals in achieving my intention. Now, let’s make this a bit more concrete.

Your overall goals create the cause of your intention, the reason why you do things. Bound to that cause, you have your morals.

These morals decide the way of achieving this cause.

One of my morals is "don't kill, or live and let live".

Another one is "always be open and honest".

So, these two morals will be a guideline of how I will do things for my cause.

If you know your own morals, and know the morals of the other and they're not aligned, then you know their intention will not be the right fit for you.

Having the right intentions comes from having the right morals and doing it for a good cause as a driver of action.

There is a threshold of things you can do and can’t do to achieve things.

Don’t cross the threshold of darkness.

What I saw of the leftovers of Auschwitz Birkenau was definitely over that threshold of darkness.

I saw multiple documentaries and interviews of survivors when I was back home.

From everything I saw there and in the documentaries and interviews, it was clear that the SS men not only crossed that threshold but were also consumed by it, enjoying the misery that they caused.

Now, these examples are extreme, but know that the worst things can start small.

So, check your own and others' cause and morals carefully.

Norms

Okay, so we have a cause and our own morals, we can check that.

But those are only the core of what is happening.

The effects of that core are the norms we build around it.

Norms come in all sorts of ways and in all kinds of groups, they will always be different everywhere.

What we call normal now, was not normal 10, 20, maybe even a 100 years ago.

Norms can be imposed on you through social pressure or society.

Norms can change when intentions change.

Norms can change when situations change.

Social norms sometimes can decide for you what is right or wrong based on the situation and the collective opinion people can have.

Without you even thinking about them, it can happen that you follow other intentions through those collective norms.

What I want to say with all of this is that if you really believe in your own good intentions, you should ignore the norms.

You can always make time to slow down, zoom out, and hold the norms next to your own intentions, values, and morals.

You can create your own norms that are maybe the opposite of the social norms.

These can be based on your way of thinking.

People with different values will have different norms than you.

Is society's perception of right and wrong influencing your intentions in any way?

I think it is, and that is exactly the reason why I am writing this, so you can think for yourself and keep your good intentions.

So you can create your norms.

So you can rise above misery and stay true to your values, knowing that you don’t have to follow.

Cultivating a mindset that prioritizes personal values over societal pressures.

The Power of Good Intentions

We now understand that intentions are influenced by a cause, morals, and values.

We also know that norms can affect our intentions.

But what are the benefits of this?

Well, what I often hear from my surroundings is that people trust me very easily.

When I ask why, they always say: "Well, because I never doubt your intentions, and therefore know you will do the best you can."

This is not only a nice compliment to receive, but it also brings you closer to more opportunities.

Something that I've experienced myself is that if you know your intentions are good, you don’t hesitate as much because you can trust more in what you do.

One of the drivers of human nature is purpose, and there are multiple studies done on it.

An intention in itself can have a smaller purpose, but a small purpose with a good driving power can have a major impact.

Trusting in your intentions can give you the confidence to stand up for what you believe in.

At least, that's what I believe.

I believe that it can bring you into a positive feedback loop.

Good intentions can guide you to make ethical decisions and contribute positively.

In the end, it is better for yourself and others.

A sentence that is still stuck with me from our guide at Auschwitz Birkenau is: "How could those commandants kiss their wives and look themselves in the mirror knowing what they do and had done?"

Let that be the goal: to kiss our loved ones with pure kisses and look at ourselves in the mirror knowing we've got a clean slate.

The main thought of this article, and what I take with me as a result of my visit to Auschwitz Birkenau, is that I realize the profound importance of maintaining good intentions and strong morals.

Let us strive to act with integrity, ensuring that we can look ourselves in the mirror and face our loved ones without guilt or shame.

I urge you to reflect on your own intentions and ensure they align with your morals.

By doing so, we can create a more compassionate and ethical world.

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That's it for now.

I wish you a good day - Job Baltes.