🤔The end justifies the means?

I have never really grasped this common idea of “The end justifies the means”! I’ve always considered it a fallacy by the way.

Consider this:

This week, my university finished its first semester exams. The past two weeks have been for the exams. In them, I’ve witnessed a common thing in many Kenyan Universities - cheating in the exams. Comrades have gotten even cleverer in devising ways to cheat in their exams. And these schemes are so reliable to them that some comrades don’t even study all through the semester coz they know their cheating schemes will work 99.9% of the time. And so I was a witness of this yet again, coz I’ve obviously been a witness since even high school days.

Therefore, imagine comrade X has mastered this ‘art’ of cheating, and has never been caught. He passed last academic year by his devious means, and now this sem ain’t no different. Comrade X continues this and is never caught, then at the end of the 4 years graduates with a second class honor; a good level to graduate at.

Will the end (graduating) have justified his means (cheating in exams)?

Outsiders, let’s say like friends from back home or supportive mothers from back home, will come to the graduation party and have confidence that their son/daughter studied hard and deserves the degree certificate. But in the ‘realest’ sense did he really deserve it?

Now, I am a great believer in the universe giving you what you deserve. I never get jealous if I see a colleague getting rewards for his genuine hard work. Neither do I get happy to see a person wrongly treated. I believe if you truly work hard, you deserve the pat on your back, and vice versa if you are evil, then whatever evil deed the universe throws at you is deserved. I cannot count the number of times I’ve been disappointed or humiliated or hurt and then remind myself, ‘Don’t complain Reagan, you deserve whatever humiliation/disappointment this is’.

Back to my point though?

Does the end really justify the means used?

Another case example I can use; our current president Hon. Dr. William Ruto. A good number of Kenyans believe he didn’t win the recent elections with all credibility and fairness. If a person were to land currently in Kenya, completely oblivious of what happened in the recent elections, will he say President Ruto’s win justified his ‘right’ means to win the election?

Or

A professional boxer in a ring, takes a cheap shot from his opponent, and losses the match by it. The records will show the opponent won, but did he win it by the ‘right’ means. Reminds me a little of the ‘win by any means’ quote too.

Google describes this saying as “wrong or unfair methods may be used if the overall goal is good”. It goes on to add a quote, "We excuse our greed by claiming that the end justifies the means”. Interesting. Reminds me of Thanos😈 in Avengers, who wanted to wipe out half of humanity so as to properly utilize the finite resources. It would be a ‘fair’ genocide to all, both rich and poor alike. The unfair method of death to justify the overall ‘good’ goal of keeping the Universe’s resources in check. In Infinity War, he did win - half the population was wiped out, so that the remaining population could have ‘enough’ resources and utilize them well. Was it worth it for all the loss it caused to the families now left half?

I’ll digress…

In my religion, this ‘the end justifies the means’ will be made completely true at the close of time. Coz a believer’s end will justify how he lived in the current world. That, I believe in, coz you can’t fool God. Then, I’ll believe this quote.

But currently, seeing the number of graduates who graduate by fraudulent means, or the number of people who get ‘rich’ by out rightly wrong means, completely kills my belief in the saying the end justifies the means.

Think about it; maybe I am overthinking. But I’d love to be given a new POV🙂.

<Reply> to this email and tell me what you think😁, or what’s your take on this.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

✍🏽Reagan.