The “Great Leap Forward” in 20th-century China was a period during which the economy contracted, and a famine ensued that killed between 15 and 55 million people. One of the policies from this initiative focused on eradicating pests from the ecosystem.

Sparrows were targeted due to their impact on grain production — but their eradication had far more dire consequences for agriculture. People banged pots and pans to scare sparrows from the fields, nests were destroyed when found, and with no natural predator to keep them in check, locust populations exploded.

Eventually, the policy was abandoned and re-purposed, but the damage had already been done. History is full of such policies – decisions made without considering (or sometimes willfully ignoring) the second- and third-order consequences.

This post by History Defined is a fascinating and terrifying read on the subject. Recent events have brought it back to the forefront of my mind.

“My ignorance is worth as much as your knowledge” is not a sustainable path for the future.

The universe is an extraordinarily complex system; simple solutions often do not suffice. In some cases, they do more harm than good.

When expert opinion is dismissed or ignored, we risk steering the world into dangerous territory. History has shown us, time and again, just how horrific those consequences can be.

Is that a price worth paying?

Moving fast and breaking things comes at a cost — and too often, it’s the less fortunate who are left to pay the price for that negligence.