Political choices
We live in a culture of no consequences. From the international to the local, action is contemplated, the consequences are not. But there are always consequences, and when they inevitably come, they come as a shock because, in a culture of no consequences, they are entirely unanticipated.
The nations of Western Europe prioritize social welfare and the environment at the expense of defense. And why not? There are no consequences. Russia will never attack. The US will always pay for stationing tens of thousands of American troops in Europe. The US will defend Europe if necessary. Liquified natural gas will always flow from Russia. The money will always be there to pay outsized retirement benefits starting early. All is gorgeous!
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. Europe’s bad decisions have bad consequences. And they’re shocking. Not because Europe’s leaders weren’t prophets, but because they wrapped themselves in a permanent state of wishful thinking: there are no consequences.
Ditto, Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City. He sings “tax the rich,” embarrasses billionaires in public, promises benefits with no realistic plan to pay for them. And why not? There are no consequences. The rich will never take their businesses out of the city. The provision of jobs and taxes by the rich will never stop. One out of five dollars of New York City’s economic activity (provided by the wealthy) will last forever. All is gorgeous!
Boom. Billionaires contemplate leaving NYC. This is shocking. Why? For Mamdani, there are no consequences.
Ditto, President Trump. He leaves some 100 ambassadorial posts unfilled around the world, including in key spots in the Middle East. He relies instead on two or three personal aides. And why not? There are no consequences. Trump and his two or three advisors can do just as well as a fully staffed State Dept. They can make his plan for peace in Gaza stick. They can make his plan for peace in Lebanon stick. They can coerce Iran to agree to end the war on Trump’s terms.
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. None of the envisioned victories materialize, at least not yet. Why? For Trump, there are no consequences.
Ditto, Hamas. It attacks Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It kills, burns, rapes, kidnaps. Gaza is liberated. Israel can’t fight Hamas in Gaza. It is too dense. Besides, Hamas stations its operatives in homes, hospitals, UN facilities, mosques and ambulances. Israel can’t attack them. Israel has been outsmarted. Iran and Hezbollah will join Hamas’ war without restraint. Israel is doomed. All is gorgeous.
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. Israel decides where and how it will defend itself. Gaza’s homes, hospitals, UN facilities, mosques become military targets. Hamas is shocked. Why? For its Oct. 7 attack, there are no consequences. And again, boom. Hezbollah and Iran do not join Hamas in full force. Hamas is shocked. Why? Its massive defeat post-Oct. 7 has no consequences.
Life choices
The culture of no consequences is not only on the international plane. It’s pervasive.
Start with crime. It seems that every criminal thinks he or she will never get caught. Instead, “I will get rich.” Or, “I will get revenge.” All is gorgeous.
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. I am caught. I am convicted. Why? There are no consequences.
In the Jewish world, nothing succeeds like success. I prioritize the best home and the most prestigious neighborhood over living near a spiritually safe space for Jews. And why not? All is beautiful in my world. All is gorgeous.
Boom. Not so gorgeous. My children assimilate. Why? There are no consequences.
In the progressive world, I oppose the construction of an Amazon center in my city. I prevent environmental damage and grotesque accumulation of wealth. All is gorgeous.
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. My city stagnates; people lose jobs. Prices at remaining outlets rise. Why? There are no consequences.
In the upscale world, I oppose the construction of affordable housing. I protect my neighborhood. I preserve my family. All is gorgeous.
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. Continuing homelessness blights the city and consumes police and other municipal resources, affecting my pocketbook and quality of life. Why? There are no consequences.
Katy Rose
There are limitless other human choices made without consideration for consequences. Permit me to cite just one.
The other day my wife and I were driving across 17th Avenue somewhere between Gilpin and Logan Sts. A very old apartment building abutted a very new one. They were architecturally incongruous. I remarked to my wife Elaine that the late Katy Rose lived in this neighborhood — some 75 years ago it was an old, dying Jewish neighborhood — in an apartment building resembling the old one I saw, still standing. Katy Rose was the mother of General Maurice Rose, after whom HCA HealthONE-Rose is named.
Back in the day there were annual benefit dinners for what was then called General Rose Memorial Hospital, before it became Rose Medical Center (its incarnation before HCA HealthONE-Rose). In its early days, the hospital depended on the local Jewish community to survive.
Often my late father, Max Goldberg, who raised the money that built the hospital, needed to remind the powers that be to invite Katy Rose to the annual dinner. Without her, there would have been no General Rose, and without General Rose, there likely would have been no hospital. To include Katy Rose made sense to my Dad, besides what he saw as the simple human dignity of inviting an old widow to the dinner.
Katy Rose lived in one of those small apartments I spotted (I know it was small because my parents visited her and took me along). Katy Rose had no funds to contribute to the construction or the maintenance of the General Rose Memorial Hospital.
If elderly people who are without means are ignored, it may seem that there are no consequences. Life will hum along just the same. All is gorgeous.
Boom. Nothing is gorgeous. Down the line — far down the line, across time much longer than the juxtapositions in the culture of no consequences cited above — many of the leaders who forgot to invite Katy Rose have been forgotten. Far down the line, it may be the fate of those individuals, however prominent or not, who do not acknowledge the elderly to be not acknowledged themselves.
Human choices have consequences.
On all levels, our culture of no consequences has consequences.
© IJN 2026