79 - The Weight of Rashness
Its May, spring is in full swing, even if the weather has not yet caught up to that fact in many places, and the year is gathering momentum. Our attention turns once more to a solemn remembrance observed by many within our community: the passing of a cultural icon. Harambe was taken from the world on May 28th through no fault of his own. Though the event itself was brief, the reaction it provoked across society revealed something far larger than a single tragedy. People saw in him a symbol of innocence destroyed by haste, confusion, fear, and the terrible permanence of impulsive action.
That is why this observance remains important.
Human beings possess tremendous capability, but we are also deeply fallible creatures. We act under pressure. We misjudge. We panic. We allow fear to outrun wisdom. The Second Keystone reminds us of this plainly: “Remember that you are fallible like everyone else; be ready to admit and forgive wrongdoing”. These words are not meant to diminish humanity, but to discipline it. To remind it, to keep it in check. A society that forgets human fallibility becomes reckless. A person who believes themselves incapable of error becomes dangerous.
Much of the suffering throughout history has emerged not from deliberate evil, but from haste paired with certainty. Wars have begun because leaders believed themselves unquestionably correct. Communities have fractured because individuals preferred pride over humility. Irreversible decisions have been made in moments when patience might have preserved peace and life alike.
The remembrance of May 28th serves as a modern symbol of this ancient truth. It reminds us how quickly fear can overwhelm judgment, and how permanent the consequences of impulsive action can become. Yet Paraclism does not ask us to dwell endlessly in anger or resentment. Such emotions eventually corrode the very people who carry them. Instead, we are called to reflect carefully upon the conditions that produce tragedy so that we may resist reproducing them ourselves.
This reflection naturally leads toward the Third Keystone: “Uphold the rights and autonomy of others as you would your own”. Rashness so often emerges when others cease to be viewed with dignity and become instead obstacles, threats, abstractions, or inconveniences. The moment we stop recognizing the inherent worth of others, disproportionate action becomes easier to justify.
The lesson, then, is not merely historical or symbolic. It is practical. We must cultivate restraint in our daily lives. We must slow ourselves before reacting in anger. We must resist the intoxicating certainty that convinces us our perspective is complete and flawless. We must create communities where admitting error is seen not as weakness, but as maturity and wisdom.
This is especially necessary in an age of constant outrage and instant reaction. The modern world, for better or worse, enables and encourages speed in all things — immediate judgment, immediate response, immediate condemnation. Yet wisdom rarely arrives immediately. Reflection takes time. Prudence often requires patience, humility, and the willingness to pause long enough for clarity to emerge.
As this season matures and life flourishes around us, let this observance stand not merely as a memorial, but as a warning and a guide. Human beings are capable of compassion, intelligence, and justice, but only when tempered by humility and restraint. The path toward a more equitable and humane world begins with the recognition that we ourselves are imperfect, and that every irreversible action deserves careful thought before it is taken. This is The Way.
