[Food for Thought] The ends do not justify the means, but do the means justify the ends?

Actions have consequences. I think this doesn't come as a surprise to any of us, but I also think it's important that we fully contemplate the implications of this simple observation. I will also assert that intentions do not have consequences. I've made many mistakes in my life; I've done and said things honestly believing and planning that they improve a situation, only to make it worse. My actions had consequences, my intentions did not. This is an inevitable hazard of being a human: we all make mistakes, so we would do well to help each other mitigate the negative consequences of our mistakes and learn to act more wisely in the future, rather than pointing the finger of blame (which is merely a manifestation of our own fear that we might somehow be held responsible), which only delays the remedy.

Thus it must be concluded that the ends do not justify the means. Being creatures of finite comprehension, if we intend to create a better world, but mistakenly act in ways that cause the opposite, we must recognize our error and correct it rather than pursuing a doomed path, dogmatically asserting that our road eventually leads to the promised land and we just have to pass through the valley of shadow first. This takes humility and teachability. The vast majority of people want the same general things (safety and security, freedom to pursue things we find fulfilling, economic stability; and all of this for others as well as ourselves) and thus intend to bring about the same ends, but some actions cause negative results, no matter what intention we put behind them, and thus to be effective we must identify these harmful actions and throw off all that hinders us from reaching our goal.

The tradition of freemasonry teaches that we are collectively the builders (masons) of our world, that we are all fundamentally equal and free, and that some build with stone, which is harmful behaviors that ultimately create a dark reality; while others build with light, the beneficial behaviors that create a bright and safe world for all. Some freemasons choose to build with light (the light masons), while others choose to build with stone (the dark masons), and these building materials (the means) ultimately define what is built (the ends). The dark masons seek to be the rulers of hell, while the light masons seek to be citizens of heaven. Occult masonry attempts to manipulate people into also building with the occultist's material of choice, tricking gullible builders, who have not yet come to understand which materials are light and which are stone, into building with materials opposed to the builders' goals if necessary. Freemasonry is, at is core, the observation that actions (light/stone) have consequences (worlds of thriving/worlds of suffering).

If this framework is correct, it may then be concluded that whatever world we build, if we build it with light, it will ultimately be a world of light; but if we build it with stone, it will be a world of darkness. Some want to build a socialist world, where each strives to act for the benefit of all, and collectively we thrive. Others want to build a capitalist world, where each individual acts, through voluntary cooperation, to benefit himself, and each thrives through voluntary exchange for mutual benefit. These groups argue whether the other's world can be built or not, that the other group is trying to build something unbuildable. I encourage us to set aside predictions of what can and can't be built, and instead focus on building with light, rather than stone, and together we can learn what worlds of light are possible and what are not, for as long as we are careful to only build with light, we can learn in time what we can build with light while being certain that the result, however exactly it works, will be characterized with love and light rather than fear and darkness.

If the above framework is valid, we may conclude that the means do justify the ends, though the ends we get may not exactly match the ones we expected. Thus it should be our priority to learn which actions are light, and which actions are stone.

With a background in software development and a passion for security, Nathan has identified blockchain technology as his niche. He is dedicated to creating applications which empower individuals to shape a better world for themselves and others.