Actions have immediate consequences, called first-order consequences, and then they have second-, third- and fourth-order consequences: "N-th order consequences". Since most bad things usually come from [[Unintended consequences]] of actions, rather than it being the goal of the actor to do bad, it's extremely important to be thoughtful about ones actions. This is why it's often best to do nothing at all, or to practice the eastern art of [[Wu-Wei]]. # Related [[When we try to solve problems, we often create new ones]]