Issue 281 Ends Justify the Means? February 27, 2014

Do the ends really justify the means? Can they ever be justified? I don't think so. Time for another discussion.

Means to an end: We have always heard the phrase ends justify the means, but that is not true. Does sacrificing ones friendships, family or another person’s livelihood really justify an end result? Of course not. For one, you are isolating yourself if you sacrifice your family and friends. If you sacrifice another person’s livelihood, then you should hopefully feel guilty (otherwise you are probably pond scum). So you can isolate yourself, you can harm others, but in the end, was it worth it? Was it worth the sacrifice to harm all those people and yourself? It becomes easier if you are affecting total strangers, but that can only happen if we forget to place ourselves in that very same position that we will be placing them in. Even then, there is no guarantee that the end result will be the desired one, let alone reached. So again, is it all worth the sacrifice?

Risk versus this mentality: There is a big difference between the ends justifying the means and risk itself. Risk is something that is calculated and meant to gain something significant without loss if at all possible. The mind set of the "ends justifying the means" means you are willing sacrifice all for the end result. So if you fail in risk, then you did not properly prep for the possibility of failure. With ends justifying the means, it means just continue sacrificing everything until the desired result is gained.

Us today: I feel like most of the United States if not the world has fallen into this cruel and heartless mind set. Sorry to say, but the Wall street bail outs should not have happened for there should have never been need of such crappily written laws if the banks actually thought about the sacrifices they would have to make to achieve their wealth. Much of welfare I feel would not be necessary if parents thought about addiction to drugs, alcoholism, and proper spending choices over their own immediate gratification. This too is ends justifying the means, taking a small immediate happiness now at the sacrifice of the future of the household. If politicians thought about how their laws and taxes affected businesses, and the economy, we all might be a lot richer rather than perpetuating divisions in society to maintain political power. Sad is it not?

Conclusion: Our society, while technologically advanced, has regressed socially. We no longer use calculated risks, but instead use a mentality of acceptable sacrifices to get what we want. I cannot accept such a mind set which is why I plead with you, be conscious of how you achieve your goals in life. The journey to your goal is equally if not more important than the goal itself.