Well as I reread this I become more confused. Do I understand that, in perhaps oversimplified terms, If something is wrong and it can't be made to be perfect doing the best you can to remedy the situation is just as bad as doing nothing?

This I know. It is not possible to change a thousand years of cultural bias and archaic custom overnight. Much as I may wish, the stroke of the pen won't give women equal pay for equal work. Genital mutilation won't go away overnight. And spousal abuse won't disappear even if it is illegal.

The desire for the old ERA wasn't universal among women. Many women, some friends of mine, voted against it because they thought it was anti-family. Imagine that. The practioners of genital mutilation was more often women than men. Only a strongly entrenched tradition could cause this to be continued by the very people who suffer the most from it. And as bad as spousal abuse is, it goes both ways sometimes. Not in equal measure but it does happen. A battered wife is very likely to return to the batterer. The law doesn't compel her to return, it is cultural bias and many phsycological intricacies that return the battered wife or husband or child to the dangerous condition they were in. Some incredibily stupid laws still on the books contribute as well.

There is no light switch that will solve this, these, dilemas. It will take time and continued commonsense to do the trick. In the meantime bad things will still happen but they will diminish over time.

For my part I will continue to do the best I can and I'm sorry if its not good enough, its still the best I can do.

Don