Some would say that engaging in discourse about morals, values, intents, motivations, or right vs. wrong and good vs. bad is only an exercise in chasing false leads leading to logical dead-ends and falling into an unavoidable self-righteousness trap. But, I would say, that humans, like all evolved creatures, have certain built-in, integral functions that define their very beings. And one such fundamental function we have as humans is the capacity to make sense of who we are.
It might get repetitive, boring, or preachy to some, but the fact that human beings are not meant to be power-hungry, money-obsessed, amoral cheaters and liars, bears repeating. We sell ourselves short if we think that just because we aren't perfect and we make mistakes that somehow that is a license to keep making mistakes toward our own persons, or worse, a license to exploit and harm others.
There is such a thing as, "to be on wrong side of history". To be judged in hindsight as someone who caused their fellow people more harm than good, more suffering than peace. To be judged as those to have made grave, moral mistakes against their fellow men and all of humanity. Even in light of this undeniable truth, there are still a few who argue that history can be rewritten. That one must only acquire wealth and power and that those who have both can turn even lies into the truth. Those who argue this have been proven wrong, time and again.
At the risk of chasing false leads and falling into a self-righteousness trap, progress in our collective understanding of ourselves requires that we venture into roads that may be considered dead-ends, that we examine what may be considered losing arguments, that -- all the while guided by sound reason, an unwavering spirit and an internal moral compass -- we come out of the other side of this search more knowledgeable, more progressive, and less afflicted than when we began.
