A reminder: there is no political cause that justifies trampling on honor

I've been writing this blog for 21 years and sometimes it's a little difficult not to repeat certain topics, but there are some that are worth insisting on.

If you apply 'anything goes' on your rivals, how long will it take you to use it on your peers?
The risk of supporting unscrupulous people: in the end they always turn against their supporters

One of the issues I've been emphasizing for years is the need for fair play in politics and the duty to defend a noble cause with honor. Many people believe their political cause is the best and that anything goes to achieve their goals. The idea that anything is permissible to reach certain political ends should be a red flag that something is wrong. Unfortunately, we often only see this red flag when it occurs on the opposing side.

Four years ago I commented here (excuse the self-quotation) that if we throw our honor overboard, we degrade ourselves as people, that if we believe that anything goes in the field of politics, then in what way are we better than our enemies? I also pointed out that if we don't defend a noble cause by legitimate means, then does that cause deserve to be defended? Aren't we dishonoring the nobility of that cause by defending it with ignoble means?

Giving in to the idea that the end justifies the means when defending a good political cause is one of the most frequent temptations in that arena. In fact, it is often a reason why some political and ideological movements begin to derail. In this sense, I believe it is essential to always keep one thing in mind when defending ideas, whether from a political party, an association, a media outlet, a blog, social media, or any other sphere: acting with honor is as important, if not more so, than defending a noble cause. Honor is like the lighthouse beam that prevents you from running aground on a reef because you believe you are the best navigator.

Of course, this applies not only to politics, but to all aspects of life. I believe a society is better when it keeps something so fundamental in mind, and it falls into crisis precisely when it forgets it. Obviously, when we talk about defending how society should act on any issue, honor must be an even more powerful guiding light, because the consequences of ignoring it can be especially disastrous. One only needs to look at history books.

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Image: Grok.