Phrases like “going above and beyond,” “giving 110 percent,” and “exceeding expectations” express the idea of diligence—of doing more than is expected. Diligence and dedication are commendable character traits, and we usually applaud those who take initiative and “go above and beyond.” But sometimes “going beyond” is not a good idea.

The astonishing outcome of the United Kingdom’s June 8 General Election was the one least expected or desired: a “hung” parliament, in which no clear winner emerged. The pound slumped against the dollar and euro to its lowest levels in seven months. Several newspaper headlines proclaimed “May’s Gamble Backfires.”

Cutting-edge British research published in the prestigious journal Archives of Toxicology reveals that maternal cigarette smoking damages the livers of unborn fetuses. “Scientists found that the cocktail of chemicals in cigarettes is particularly harmful to developing liver cells… Smoking cigarettes, which contain around 7,000 chemicals, can damage foetal organs and may do lasting harm” (BBC, May 29, 2017).

Two years of fighting between warring Muslim factions has decimated this nation on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula—leading the United Nations humanitarian chief to assert that Yemen is facing a “total social, economic and institutional collapse” (BBC, May 31, 2017). Since April, a re-occurring cholera epidemic has infected 60,000 people and killed 500.