“He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars: General Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer, for Art and Science cannot exist but in minutely organized Particulars.”
— William Blake
I think it very pertinent in this day and age to meditate on the wisdom contained in these words. In this era of intangibles, we must all demand Minute Particulars.
For those who demand “change,” what specifically do you want changed? How are you going to change it? What are you going to change it into? What is the specific purpose of this change? Who is going to pay for it? Who is going to be screwed over, and how badly, in the name of your change? Are you OK with this?
For those who think we need to round up all the illegal aliens and ship them back to “wherever they came from,” I ask “how?” How are you going to accomplish this? How are you going to find them all? How much loss of life and property do you expect to cause? What will it cost? Who is going to pay for it? Are you fine with tearing families apart?
If you don’t know, admit ignorance and do what you can to fix it.
All I ask for is Minute Particulars.