Winning Words 10/25/11
“A good End cannot sanctifie evil Means, nor must we ever do Evil, that Good may come of it.” (Wm. Penn) This is from Penn’s book, “Fruits of Solitude,” which contains simple truths on which the new Republic should be based. I counted almost 100. Among them was, “Friendship.” Wouldn’t it be an even greater country if we could be friends with one another? BTW, what do you think of his quote? ;-) Jack

FROM CWR IN B'MORE: I'm not too sure about this one......it's a bit too definite for me. Life is too nuanced to be that certain that we can ,with certainty, distinguish between Good and Evil. Was Obama's "eliminating" Osama an Evil act? Probably, but has "Good" come from it? Probably. Cheers......////FROM JACK: If I am pressed so that I HAVE to choose, I would say that "the end does not justify the means." However....

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: How can it be that there are no "facts" but there are "simple truths"?////FROM JACK: "Simple truths" seem to be consistent with the piety of Penn, as opposed to the "hard facts." Facts are not necessarily truths.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Curious about the spelling of sanctify as sanctifie ? French? Or a different meaning?
////FROM JACK: I was curious about the same thing, as I typed. I suppose it relates to Penn as a Quaker and how they used thees and thous and sanctifie instead of sanctify. It probably goes back to the kind of language useage in England when the King James Bible was written.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON: Does it mean, the ends don't justify the means? I like his quote, we lose credibility even in our own souls when we do something bad even for a noble reason. That said, know that governments sometimes assassinate, etc., in belief there will be more peace. Our own country's past as far as gathering intelligence is another example. We pay a heavy price.////FROM JACK: The word, excuse, comes to mind. It has a Latin origin, "to put outside," to exonerate, to justify, to remove blame. In the biblical story of the Pharisee and the publican, "The Pharsisee, seeking to justify himself....(he was making an excuse).

FROM RI IN BOSTON: I am sometimes tempted to do something improper, believing in the end it will produce good, but to be honest I have to side with that stalwart in the Society of Friends, Wm. Penn.////FROM JACK: "In the end" are the definitive words. "After all is said and done," what is right?////RI AGAIN: In my own situation I'm not talking about evil intent, but instead what one might call a lapse of good conduct, for example, deceiving someone. An instance that comes to mind is when President Jimmy Carter's mother, Miss Lillian, met a reporter for an interview. He asked her if she ever told a lie, and she replied yes, that sometimes it's a good strategy. When he asked how that could be, Miss Lillian said, "Remember a few minutes ago when I met you at the door, and told you 'It's so nice to see you,' well that was a little lie." It was not really proper conduct but it did simplify the moment for chatting together (that is until she let him in on the secret).

FROM EMT SINGS IN MICHIGAN: It seems to me that we are in this quandry lots of times. Starting with wars for one thing. I don't think it can be this simple Now friendship is easy to understand!.////FROM JACK: Mmm. Friendship is easy to understand? What about friends that we "use," or the ones that use us? Our allies? Ethel Barrymore said, "The best time to make friends is before you need them."

FROM LB IN MICHIGAN: Unfortunately, people do not agree on what is good and what is evil.////FROM JACK: Penn laid out his 100 truths. Those who agreed followed him. Those who didn't. didn't. Free will allows us to agree or disagree....and so it goes.

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH: Several examples in recent years that contradict the principles put forth. Putting certain terrorists to death makes a challenge of what “evil Means” means.////FROM JACK: The gap between Penn's world and the one of today is very, very wide. While good and evil still exist, the way that they are interpreter has become complex-er.

FROM PRMR IN DETROIT: William Penn’s quote is revealing. CT is of Moravian descent, and last year we visited the archives and historical sites in Bethlehem, PA. Early Moravian history in America is a remarkable contrast to how we live communally these days. Their society was shaped so they could best accomplish their mission. Like the Quakers, the Moravians emphasized living the gospel. The Moravians intentionally sought to be friends with those who lived outside of their communities. Yes, we would be a better country if we could be friends with one another. In America, significant numbers consider those with opposing political positions to be enemies to be destroyed by “any” means. What are good ends? What are evil means? These are in debate nowadays. Friends would collaborate. ////FROM JACK: "Living the Gospel!" That could be the title of an interesting sermon. That kind of living isn't as easy as it sounds. So many decisions! Black and white choices are difficult when gray comes into the picture. Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan when he was asked to explain how to show love.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I agree with the quote. Ironically, it seems to me that a lot of folks spent years justifying things like communism and (probably before WW II) fascism by saying “the end justifies the means” and “you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs”. Even though you may start out with the purest motives the evil takes over and becomes and end in itself.////FROM JACK: It's interesting that your response causes me to think about the words "justified by grace," as they are used in Christian theology. That Penn was a pretty smart guy.

FROM MOLINER JT: Great quote. Let's wipe "Hate" from our vocabulary.:////FROM JACK: Don't you just hate it when people come up with a simple suggestion which is so hard to accomplish?