Much of what we assume others are doing on purpose in order to be hurtful is actually just them being stupid by accident. In assuming it is malice, we assume it is a sin and as such that they owe an apology to us and a repentant prayer to God. This justifies our feelings of anger and hostility better than discovering that the evil genius who hurt us is just a run-of-the-mill, off-the-rack, regular ol' idiot.
“A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.” - Carlo Cipolla, The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity
So, a stupid person may still hurt you, but not for the reasons that you thought. It wasn’t for personal gain or to see you get hurt that they did what they did or said what they said; they’re just stupid. They hurt themselves and others because they're foolish. They cut their own fingers as they cut others with the sharp objects they picked up for no apparent reason.
Proverbs 28:16
The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor.
Those who don't know what they're doing often oppress others and the more power that they have access to, the greater the oppression that they can cause. They say that hurt people hurt people, but it's just as often the case that stupid people are the ones hurting people. And that;s not even taking into consideration the stupid, hurt people who cannot help be wreak havoc wherever they wobble. And since stupid people are an inescapable reality, the best we can do is to keep them from positions of power where their stupidity is amplified.
"When a society is blessed, it is not because the stupid have been exiled, but rather because they have been cordoned off. They have been outmaneuvered. They are not in a position to make authoritative decisions." -- Doug Wilson, Budgeting for Stupidity
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