Harm None
February 12, 2010
by Marta Garcia
“An’ harm none, do what you will.” Otherwise known as the Wiccan Rede. It is something that many in the Wiccan Path try to follow. And at first glance, it seems rather simple: as long as you don’t hurt anyone or anything, you can do what you want. In all honesty, it is not that simple.
What is the Wiccan Rede? In my experience, it is a way for me to weigh my decisions, to pick my choices, and to interact with others. Sometimes, those interactions, decisions, and choices have brought about no harm to anyone or anything. Sometimes that has not been the case. And this is where the Rede can become tricky. At times, we have to make decisions that will harm someone along the way. However, the Rede can help us decide what the least amount of harm may be in any given situation.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. Recently, I had to decide whether or not to report a co-worker to the higher ups. This person had, in my view, been verbally abusive to a child in a pediatric unit of a nursing home. I had to decide what the lesser of two evils would be:
- The co-worker losing their job in these hard economic times,
- Allowing for the children we work with to continue to be verbally abused
Did I want this person to lose their job, knowing full well that the economy is bad and jobs are hard to find? No. But if I chose not to report this incident so that the co-worker could keep their job, then I would be allowing their behavior to continue within the unit. Did I want such behavior to continue amongst children? No. Part of my and everyone’s job within the unit is to protect the children. I chose to report what I had witnessed. Management investigated the situation and, in the end, chose not to allow this person back in the building and the co-worker proceeded to retire. Do I feel bad that the co-worker will no longer be working with us? You can bet that I do. But I also know that I protected the children from future harm from this person.
In a recent conversation about the Rede, a friend stated that we, as humans, cannot go about without harming at least something or someone. And to a certain extent, I tend to agree. For example, we have to eat to survive. In the process, animals and plants give their lives so that we can survive. However, we have a choice in how the plants and animals are treated while alive. Do we want plants that are heavily covered in pesticides or be genetically altered? Do we want the animals we eat to be given hormones and to be mistreated before they are butchered? One may argue that not all choices end up causing harm - using wipes instead of toilet paper, for example. However, as another friend in the conversation pointed out, we have to think about the Butterfly Effect - where every action we take can affect something on the other side of the world from us. Will my choice of turning left instead of right this morning affect the environment in Australia? I’ll readily admit that thinking about the Butterfly Effect in regards to the Rede adds another layer for me to consider while making my decisions and choices.
Another friend in the conversation shared that the Rede should help us leave a smaller carbon footprint. Do I buy a car or use public transportation? If I buy a car, I am helping the economy. Yet, I widen my carbon foot print because I have to buy gas for the car. If I use public transportation instead, there is one less car on the roads. However, I will not be helping the economy as much as if I had bought a car. Do you buy and eat locally grown and raised food from local farmers? Or do you go to the grocery store chains and not know where your food comes from or how it was raised?
Up to this point, I have only discussed the “An’ Harm None” aspect of the Rede. What about the “Do What You Will” part? It is just as important. When I first discovered the Wiccan Path, I thought that “do what you will” meant that I could do whatever I darn well pleased as long as I did not hurt someone else. Over the years, I have discovered that this is not necessarily the case. Our wills are a very strong driver of decisions and energy. And, when mixed with emotion, our wills can be an even stronger driving force. When we will something to happen we also need to consider our emotional state. Are we willing or doing a spell in anger? Out of frustration? Or is it out of concern? Or because we know it is right? Or is it because we are being spiteful? What is our intent or will when doing something?
At one point in his long career, George Carlin did a bit about sin and intent. He joked that, in the religion he practiced in his youth, once one thought about committing a sin, one might as well save their car fare because the sin was already done in that person’s mind as far as that religion’s leaders were concerned. Although he might have been joking, I think George Carlin had a point. Once we intend, think, or will, to do something, it is done in our minds even if we do not take physical action. How does this apply to the Rede? When making a decision or taking an action that may or may not harm someone or something, we need to consider our will or intentions behind the decision or action. We need to consider the “why” of what we are doing or deciding to do.
At first glance, the Wiccan Rede seems to be a very simple thing to follow. But with deeper consideration, one can see how difficult the Rede really is. Every decision and choice we make, even the seemingly simple ones, is filled with the possibility of harm. And, without consideration of the outcome or of our will, we may do more harm than good. However, if we consider the outcome and our will or intentions, we lower the possibility of harm. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not perfect and that there have been times that, even with consideration of possible outcomes and my will or intent, I have made a mistake or three. And sometimes, I am blind sighted by an outcome that I did not consider. Yet, I try to take what I have learned and apply it to the next situation. The Wiccan Rede, to me, is a guideline and something to strive for.