Just Ends Don’t Justify Wicked Means
Seth Godin wrote on his blog (https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/271539552/0/sethsblog~Nothing-wrong-with-having-standards.html):
“Nothing wrong with having standards”
This is the snarky feedback of someone whose bias is to hustle instead of to stand for something.
When you say ‘no’ to their pitch, they merely smile and congratulate you on the quaint idea that you have standards.
Their mindset is to cut corners, slip things by if they can. The mindset of, “Well, it can’t hurt to ask.” Predators and scavengers, nosing around the edges and seeing what they score.
They talk about standards as if they’re a luxury, the sort of thing you can do as a hobby, but way out of the mainstream.
The thing is, if you begin with standards and stick with them, you don’t have to become a jackal to make ends meet. Not only is there nothing wrong with having standards, it turns out to be a shortcut to doing great work and making an impact.
I quote Seth Godin here because what he says is so pertinent to the way you handle your divorce.
Some people think the ends justify the means. “I deserve this,” goes the rationale, “so I can self-righteously cheat without it constituting cheating; it’s insuring that I get what I deserve.” Accuse your husband of being a child abuser to get an edge in the child custody fight. Accuse your wife of being mentally ill for the same reason. Lie about your income and expenses to ensure that child support and/or alimony comes out “the right way.” Believe me, I understand the sentiment, and I understand the temptation. But what shall it profit a man (or woman), if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? In the spirit of Thomas Paine, those who expect to reap the blessings of the law are obligated to obey it. As ye sow, so shall ye reap? No; “[t]he law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. . . . Sow a character and you reap a destiny.” – James Allen
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