Why Must We Be Cautious

There's a saying that every cloud has a silver lining.  In essence this means that for every bad event or situation that occurs, there will always be a positive side or a positive spin that you can put on it.  For example, maybe you try out for a leadership position in a club that you participate in, but you don't end up getting the position.Obviously you will be sad, but there is also an upside that you now have more time to participate in other clubs or relax at home.  Conversely, I feel that the opposite of this saying is also true.  Essentially this would mean that for every great discovery or event, there will always be unforeseen consequences.  This idea is expanded upon in Chet Raymo's "A Measure Of Restraint."  In this piece, an example is given of a lustrous powder that seemed magical at first but turned out to be a dangerous chemical that after the people made that realization, turned from an "instrument of healing" into an "instrument of death."  With this example in mind, any discovery can have a negative side to it.  Nuclear fission can be turned into atomic warheads, orbital satellites can be turned into mass spy devices, etc.  Humans are always striving towards new technological discovery, but with each one we will have to be careful of the possible negative implications that may result from it. Even with government regulations, bad people will still find a way to turn a beneficial discovery into a deadly one, and it is for this reason that no matter what, and with how far mankind goes into technological advancement, we must be cautious about how we use and come up with every discovery that we ever have, no matter how small or insignificant we think it is.