If it seems like a bad idea..

There are good ideas and bad ideas. There are ideas that seem good at the outset which turn out to be bad ideas. There are ideas that are good in theory and poor in practice. And then there are bad ideas that are just bad all around.

Here are some examples of good ideas:
1. Communism - good in theory, poor in practice
2. smoking poison ivy - poor idea all around
3. having a dance party instead of doing homework - good idea until the test the next morning
4. wearing a coat out when it's cold - good idea all around

Now, since number is so clearly the idea that's poor all around, and it is generally clear which ideas are like it, why do people continue to make these decisions. Case in point...

Two boys emerged from my suitemate's room last week. They looked around sheepishly at the common room full of girls. We stared at them. The only way they could have gotten into the room was through the front door, and we would have seen them coming through the common room. One of them sputtered, "I, uh, I. I think we're in the wrong room."

They said they hadn't wanted to disturb the girl they were going to visit, and they hadn't wanted to call her and have her walk down four flights of stairs to let them in. Instead, they'd climbed up four floors of fire escape, popped the screen out of the window, and climbed into what they thought was the correct room. We went to the window, concerned that thieves would have the same idea with more nefarious purposes, and couldn't see any sort of fire escape. Well, it turns out that when they said "fire escape" they really meant an open, rickety, rusty ladder on the side of the building.
"You climbed up that?"
"Yes."
"As a surprise?"
"Yes."
"But..."

But the story doesn't stop there. We asked our suitemate, "Why didn't you say anything to them?"
"I thought they were thieves."
"So you let them sit on your bed?"
"Yes."

It turns out that they'd missed the right room by a floor. However, the ladder stopped on the fourth floor. Given the choice of going back down the ladder and climbing in the window, they made the logical choice. For having a good idea at the very end, I applaud them. When the girl they were in search of finally appeared, they made a quick exit. But I will now forever associate them with the incident.

The moral of the story is: when strange men climb into your window and sit on your bed, you should ask them questions. Also, if you really think about it, you'll realize that a plan you've formulate is a poor one. For instance, climbing up four floors of ladder and climbing in a window. Stop. Look. Listen to your brain.