We don’t see the consequences of our actions - we don’t even know what we’re doing that’s causing harm.” ‍ In today’s interconnected world, the do no harm principle might, according to Margaret Wheatley, be increasingly difficult because “it’s not just about doing good, it’s actually avoiding harm. Or if we think about the Do no harm principle (which originated in the medical profession but is also widely adopted by humanitarian and aid agencies), its intention is to avoid putting people at further risk from our interventions, so it requires us to take a step back and understand the wider context of the situation we hope to improve. Can we be certain that the donor whose money we accept doesn’t, in fact, contribute to exacerbating the problem we intend to address in the first place? Where do we draw the line? ‍ Take for example, who we receive funding from. If we think, for example, about the ethical principles that guide our decisions (personally or as an organisation), the more we endeavour to practice them, the more we realise acting ethically at all times is full of contradictions we would much rather avoid. ‍īut it doesn’t come without its challenges. This is where things can get interesting. We may contradict ourselves because we forgot what we said, or once we have new information that makes us change a previous position or opinion. They can also be dishonest, like making grand statements at COP26 that you do not intend to follow through with. ‍Ĭontradictions can be more like inconsistencies, like flying while worrying about our carbon footprint. And we may feel guilty when our actions don’t align with our principles. The wise contradict themselves.” Yet we often feel ashamed when someone catches us contradicting ourselves. Oscar Wilde said, “he well bred contradict other people. Contradictions make us human and can be a creative doorway. Our emotions can be contradictory, so can our actions. We change our minds, we give advice we don’t follow, we do things we know are bad for us and not nearly enough of what’s good for us.

I contradict myself