Perhaps One Should Be Cautious When One’s Job Has Irreversible Consequences

Personally, I think one should be cautious when one’s job involves irreversible consequences. Just imagine you are in the shoes of David Underwood and his wife. You buy a lakeside house from your aunt that has been in the family for decades. You arrive to move in, and it’s gone. Why? A contractor made a mistake and demolished it instead of the condemned house next door.

I can just imagine how this went:

Fred: Is this the one we’re wrecking?

Ralph: Yup.

Fred: Are you sure?

Ralph: Yup.

Fred: I kind of thought it might be the one next door. You know, the dilapidated one with all the ‘CONDEMNED’ signs all over it. Kind of funny, given that this one is in perfect shape and doesn’t have any ‘CONDEMNED’ signs on it. You’re sure, though? This is the right address?

Ralph: Yup.

Fred: Ralph, you aren’t even looking at the address on the order sheet.

Ralph: Yup.

Now, I know that this a different kind of irreversible consequence than a doctor performing a surgery on the wrong knee, but I think it’s in the same ballpark. When your job has serious consequences that can’t be taken back, I just think it behooves one to be extra certain before starting work.