The above image was made with stable diffusion using the prompt 'a person pulling levers inside of a machine.'
I got some pushback recently against my recent post In Defense of the Rich. In this piece, I characterized my well-to-do acquaintances as possessing a strong sense of social responsibility as demonstrated by their civic involvement and philanthropy. Yesterday at the coffee shop, a friend pointed out that he viewed this activity differently. He saw it as purely self-interested rather than something stemming from social responsibility.
My friend might have a point. The socially responsible actions I see may indeed be motivated by self interest. From tax breaks to the improvement of social status among peers, there are plenty of selfish reasons for the wealthy to use their wealth for the betterment of society. The thing is, I'm not sure it matters that much.
In fact, I'm not at all convinced that motivations are even relevant when it comes to public activity. Our laws give great weight to motive. But I think that the actual impacts of our actions, for better and worse, are far more important than our reasons for producing those actions. If a person donates to Doctors Without Borders for tax reasons, the needy receive essential medical care. If a pesticide company executive keeps the company profitable to financially provide for a large family, many people may be poisoned.
In neither instance do motives matter. In an interpersonal sense they might, but not in a public sense. And both examples could involve the same person, motivated by money to do both small good and great harm.
Actions have consequences, but many people reflexively avoid taking responsibility for their actions. The common phrase "just doing my job" exemplifies this responsibility avoidance. This is deeply programmed into society. It's profoundly disempowering because it takes away the ability to own our choices. Just doing my job also shields power abusers from the negative impacts of their decisions.
Positions of power within society are all positions within unaccountable systems. These systems operate by their own rules. The humans who occupy positions within them are interchangeable. The motives of these humans are beyond irrelevant.
In a personal sense, our reasons for doing things do matter. But the importance of these reasons is greatly diminished as our actions begin impacting others. When that impact is positive, we feel good, and we should. When it's negative, we feel bad, and we should.
This feedback is a critical part of how we learn and grow. Too often, the systems we work within shield us from this feedback. Society is suffering for it, and no one is responsible.
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