Visiting the southeastern part of the United States years ago, my eyes were fascinated by the storybook-looking-curvy-green landscape. My wide eyes couldn’t stop looking – I wanted the magic to go on forever. My parents didn’t seem very excited and informed me that I was seeing kudzu. My ears loved the word kudzu! I was enchanted with how beautifully the vine covered everything – everything that stood still that is.
It was a real shock to my tree-loving heart to discover that kudzu smothers live trees. Imagine my confusion when I learned that kudzu had been purposefully imported from Japan and China in the early 1900’s. The people responsible (who understandably remain anonymous) didn’t give up when kudzu was slow and expensive to get established. Now, nearly impossible to eradicate, kudzu is a real problem. The point of this story ? Whoever decided to import kudzu must have thought it was for the greatest good. They were wrong. That’s why it is important when you are seeking to do the greatest good for all to be certain to search extensively for all the relevant information, refuse the obvious solutions to problems because often the obvious is wrong, refrain from intervening when unnecessary, and work towards both-and solutions. Have you ever rushed in to do something you thought was “good” and caused harm? All of us have. Please share with us the unintended consequences you can claim as your own. Go to the blog by clicking on link at bottom of email and comment. Go to Google if you want to see pictures of kudzu. Thanks for exploring the mystery. Nicky Mendenhall
1 comment
now, whenever something doesn't work out the way I intended it to, i'm going to shout: "Kudzu!"
mason
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