When the End Justifies the Means, Honor Is Lost

I am angry, even a little shocked, by what I see happening in the political campaign ads - especially from McCain. Every politician stretches reality a bit in their ads, but normally there is at least a thread of truth in them. What I see now is the notion that lying is OK, not stretching the truth but repeating lies over and over again with the notion that it will create doubt -- that the lies will stick in people's minds more than any attempt to expose the lies with the truth. Every national candidate has individuals or groups outside their campaigns which pay for distorted, 'issue' ads; but when the candidate himself (or herself) endorses this tactic - claims pride in this tactic - any pretext of honor is lost.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We live in a culture which rewards winning. Often, the little league mantra, "It's not whether you win or loose, it's how you play the game." , seems to be a fairy tale that adults tell to children. And then children learn the truth by watching how their parents play, how their leaders play, in the 'real' world. They watch a court system which rewards victory and hopes for justice; they watch financiers get rich by manipulating small investors (and without concern about causing people to loose their homes); they see companies rewarded by investors for growing the 'bottom line' without concern for product quality or working conditions or environmental impact; they watch governments defend human rights and practice torture; and they watch politicians take pride in manipulating voters in order to win. Even so, most of us see these things as abberations, as problems which are fixable. Most of us still believe that 'how you play the game' is important.

I can tell that I'm getting old; but, as frustrated as I get, I am still optomistic. I still believe that most people want to do right as opposed to wrong, to act honorably, to help their neighbors and to make their little piece of the world a better place. I want to see our political leaders that way also -- but its harder to do as ends justify means and honor is lost.