The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions.

     The old idiom or proverb simply means that well intended acts could have disastrous results.

     This very morning, I was notified of my son getting stabbed in the gut last week in Gillette Wyoming. The incident occurred after his friend begged for help with his meth addiction and then stabbed my son for trying to help. The Gillette newspaper went on to say that before the stabbing, there was a scuffle and my son left only to be called out and went to meet the man somewhere else "to settle their differences". A knife was brandished, according to the paper, before the fight and a gun was in the waist band of the meth monkeys apparent second. (In days of old, a second was the person who assisted a dueler in making sure the duel was fair. In some cases the second would take the place of the original dueler.) So it seems at the outset of this misadventure, that intentions were good. These guys were friends barbecuing together a few short hours before. Then the whole: "A friend in need is a friend indeed" bit and the desire to 'fix" someone who wasn't really ready to be fixed. The ensuing hurt feelings, threats and fear of reprisal that more than likely went on created an apparent need to battle in neutral territory away from loved ones. All of which lead to a knife in one friends stomach and the other facing ten years in the big house.
     The possible disastrous effects of good intentions  usually comes about when the intent is not aligned with common sense and personal boundries. Among other things. It is also important to be in tune to where the intent is actually coming from. Are you promoting your own agenda? Are you acting in love? Jealousy? Fear? Anger? How many times have we alienated friends or family when we were "just trying to help"? Sometimes you would be better off  just minding your own business, as hard as that can be.
     Thankfully my son is ok and maybe a little wiser. His friend perhaps will meet the bottom he needs to kick his demon in the ass. Better some extended rehab than six feet under.