From any point in time, causative and responsible action involves a vision of what might be.
Right now I am wrecking a piece of my house that was very badly designed long ago by someone who has no sense of design.
If you were to walk in you'd think I was a psycho vandal to see the mess.
(Well, you might be right, but that is a different issue!)
But I know where it is going and have a good idea what it will look like when I get there. At that point, I will assess the scene and decide where the next major departure from the ideal is and try to do something about it.
That's life. Without a sense of what COULD be there is no reason to move in any direction.