Difficulty of Proposing the Proper End

Setting a clear objective is difficult, and carrying it through amid uncertainty is harder still. People frequently act without a fixed plan, while achievements that appear carefully designed may owe much to circumstance or chance.

This reflection draws on Jaime Balmes’s The Criterion, particularly the discussion of practical knowledge in chapter XXII. Balmes distinguishes the ultimate religious end from secondary, earthly aims: obtaining a suitable position, completing an enterprise, escaping difficulty, earning another person’s friendship, resisting an adversary, resolving an intrigue, constructing something useful, proposing a political or financial system, or reforming a harmful institution.

Purpose, Means, and Chance

Whenever a person acts, it seems natural to assume that the intended end is clear, determined, and fixed. Observation shows that this is often not the case.

People commonly attribute more foresight to successful individuals than those individuals actually possessed. A prominent position or extraordinary accomplishment can create the impression of long preparation, careful calculation, and complete understanding of the relationship between an end and the means required to reach it.

Balmes argues that this impression is often misleading. Human beings do not always understand their own abilities, interests, or destination. They may overestimate or underestimate their strength, remain uncertain about what would benefit them, and proceed without knowing clearly where they are going.

Many important events—including apparent successes—also arise without having been deliberately sought. In a complex world, chance can contribute substantially to outcomes later explained as the products of strategic planning.

The Greater Difficulty: Sustaining a Plan

The challenge is not limited to creating a plan or overcoming reluctance to begin. A plan must also be maintained and brought safely to completion while exposed to disorder, changing conditions, and forces outside anyone’s control.

The article distinguishes two complementary forms of intelligence:

• Logical intelligence, associated with analytical, sequential reasoning and deliberate planning.
• Practical or intuitive intelligence, associated with a holistic view, adaptability, sagacity, creativity, vigilance, experience, courage, and a sense of timing.

Both are necessary. Logical planning is readily visible, while intuitive adaptation may pass unnoticed even when it proves decisive.

Practical Lessons

Know Your Capabilities

The first task is to improve self-knowledge. Analysis, introspection, reflection, and an honest acceptance of one’s present condition help establish what is realistically possible. Abilities can then be strengthened through training and sustained work.

Clarify What You Want

The second task is to define the desired result precisely. Except by accident, a person cannot reliably reach a target that cannot be distinguished clearly or deliberately aimed at.

Prepare to Adapt

A clear objective does not eliminate uncertainty. Effective action also requires responding intelligently to disorder, revising methods when conditions change, and recognizing opportunities that no original plan could have predicted.

Conclusion

Balmes’s observations remain relevant because people still struggle to understand their strengths, articulate their aims, and distinguish deliberate achievement from favorable circumstance. Good practical judgment therefore combines a well-defined end, realistic self-knowledge, disciplined preparation, and enough flexibility to navigate chance.

Reflect on the destination, understand the available means, and remain alert to the unexpected.