Guinevere Freeman: Even good ends never justify the means if they are evil

To The Daily Sun,

No evil that has been done to a person is justified, nor preplanned for a greater good, but on the contrary, evil happens to spite the good. For the ends do not justify the means; should one use evil means to achieve good ends they have committed no less evil and are no less guilty. What the good does do is spite evil, and turn it into a good against its will. For though the ends do not justify the means, good ends are no less good in and of themselves, even though what brought them about is condemned as evil still. For if a vandal were to burn down a home, only for the now empty lot to then be used to build a more beautiful home, the vandal will have been no more justified in his crime, even if his crime was used to the advantage of good. Now do not think that the neighborhood is better for this incident, for a family has been devastated and the neighbors scandalized; no, the neighborhood would be a better place had this never happened; but since evil did occur why must we leave the ash and soot to offend our eyes, why should we not then go against the evildoer and turn what chaos he wanted into beauty we can now try to find comfort in?

Then to further make clear the point, think of the reverse; think of a kind stranger taking care of a poor beggar only to be murdered by the beggar. Even though the ends that prevailed were evil, the original action was good still, and so as this is clearly true it can be seen in the reverse, as the ends can be good, and the original action evil still.

Guinevere Freeman

Gilford