http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/04/imo-view-lance-armstrong-s-fairy-tale.html
We all have heard the legendary Robin Hood Tale of Sherwood Forest. He was a heroic outlaw in English folklore who helped the oppressed from corrupt local government and sheriff, stealing from the wealthy lords to give to the poor. An almost flawless modern day Robin Hood was reborn perhaps in the fairy tale – like story of Lance Armstrong. A survivor of metastatic testicular cancer, Armstrong beat all odds and became the epitome of strength and grace. One critical question however remains to haunt us: Do the ends justify the means? The validity of this maxim, in my view, is the classic moral debate of all time one hardly ever comes to an agreement.
Once ranked among the greatest athletes of all time by winning seven consecutive Tour de France as well as championships in other cycling events, Lance Armstrong has seen the clouds of doping gather until they have formed thunderstorm destroying all his lifetime’s achievement within one straight blow. The “American icon” had admitted in Thursday’s interview with Oprah that he was victim of his own falsehoods as much as his use of performance-enhancing drugs, ending years of vehement denials of doping allegations. He conceded his deceit over an elaborate doping scheme on a U.S. Postal Service team that put him on top of the podium at the Tour de France time after time over the years.
The colossal scandal irrevocably had tainted what should have been his glorious career. It quickly sparked heated debate over whether Armstrong’s demise outweighed his continuous fight against cancer. Despite the lies, his life struggle has motivated and inspired many people, especially those with cancer. Lance Armstrong Foundation had raised millions of US dollars for cancer research from the sales of yellow “LiveStrong” bracelets and other fundraising efforts. It helps change lives. It helps save lives.
In spite of this remarkable contribution towards humanity, the question remains irksome for many. Cheating is ethically, morally, and legally wrong. For me personally, his drug abuse cannot be tolerated or justified no matter how noble the end is. As a member of society, I agree that any drug abuse, lying, and cheating in professional sports should not go unpunished. We don’t want to build a society based on lies and cheatings.
It scares me to think the kind of society we will be seeing if we encouraged people to cheat, lie, steal and do whatever drugs are necessary in order to accomplish good things.
For example, in schools, we are always taught to be honest in facing the exams – that cheating is WRONG! It’s unbearable to think any teachers have intention to encourage dishonest behavior such as lying, cheating, and stealing among their school children to pass the national exam as in the case of letting the ends justify the means. Surely, such misconduct will firmly imprint the conception that ‘it’s ok to do ethically and morally wrong action to gain greater good! It helps to fertilize the seeds of corrupt habits and behaviors.
For that reason, should we accede to the maxim ‘the ends justify the means’; it would be like letting contagious disease to spread. It would infect others like raging fire until it is too late to stop the damage. We do not want to see our society have no moral scruples and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Therefore, I personally think that Armstrong’s ends doesn’t justify his means.
I used to admire Armstrong for his extraordinary achievements in sports. Now, I was disappointed. His life story was based on lies and denials. It was wrong. Yet, I can’t turn a blind eye of his significant contribution to save lives through the cancer foundation he built. His support for those who have cancer is noteworthy. Many still feel thankful and supportive of Livestrong. I think the foundation will survive but he must answer to his crimes.
In the end, Lance Armstrong is after all NO modern day Robin Hood. I doubt his initial motive to win at any cost is to help people with cancer. Yet, along the journey, he has successfully weaved a fairy tale story that inspired many, thus has helped to save lives. He will remain as a complex figure that many will find it difficult to place him clearly into any one category. Is he a hero or a villain? For me, he is both.
We all have heard the legendary Robin Hood Tale of Sherwood Forest. He was a heroic outlaw in English folklore who helped the oppressed from corrupt local government and sheriff, stealing from the wealthy lords to give to the poor. An almost flawless modern day Robin Hood was reborn perhaps in the fairy tale – like story of Lance Armstrong. A survivor of metastatic testicular cancer, Armstrong beat all odds and became the epitome of strength and grace. One critical question however remains to haunt us: Do the ends justify the means? The validity of this maxim, in my view, is the classic moral debate of all time one hardly ever comes to an agreement.
Once ranked among the greatest athletes of all time by winning seven consecutive Tour de France as well as championships in other cycling events, Lance Armstrong has seen the clouds of doping gather until they have formed thunderstorm destroying all his lifetime’s achievement within one straight blow. The “American icon” had admitted in Thursday’s interview with Oprah that he was victim of his own falsehoods as much as his use of performance-enhancing drugs, ending years of vehement denials of doping allegations. He conceded his deceit over an elaborate doping scheme on a U.S. Postal Service team that put him on top of the podium at the Tour de France time after time over the years.
The colossal scandal irrevocably had tainted what should have been his glorious career. It quickly sparked heated debate over whether Armstrong’s demise outweighed his continuous fight against cancer. Despite the lies, his life struggle has motivated and inspired many people, especially those with cancer. Lance Armstrong Foundation had raised millions of US dollars for cancer research from the sales of yellow “LiveStrong” bracelets and other fundraising efforts. It helps change lives. It helps save lives.
In spite of this remarkable contribution towards humanity, the question remains irksome for many. Cheating is ethically, morally, and legally wrong. For me personally, his drug abuse cannot be tolerated or justified no matter how noble the end is. As a member of society, I agree that any drug abuse, lying, and cheating in professional sports should not go unpunished. We don’t want to build a society based on lies and cheatings.
It scares me to think the kind of society we will be seeing if we encouraged people to cheat, lie, steal and do whatever drugs are necessary in order to accomplish good things.
For example, in schools, we are always taught to be honest in facing the exams – that cheating is WRONG! It’s unbearable to think any teachers have intention to encourage dishonest behavior such as lying, cheating, and stealing among their school children to pass the national exam as in the case of letting the ends justify the means. Surely, such misconduct will firmly imprint the conception that ‘it’s ok to do ethically and morally wrong action to gain greater good! It helps to fertilize the seeds of corrupt habits and behaviors.
For that reason, should we accede to the maxim ‘the ends justify the means’; it would be like letting contagious disease to spread. It would infect others like raging fire until it is too late to stop the damage. We do not want to see our society have no moral scruples and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Therefore, I personally think that Armstrong’s ends doesn’t justify his means.
I used to admire Armstrong for his extraordinary achievements in sports. Now, I was disappointed. His life story was based on lies and denials. It was wrong. Yet, I can’t turn a blind eye of his significant contribution to save lives through the cancer foundation he built. His support for those who have cancer is noteworthy. Many still feel thankful and supportive of Livestrong. I think the foundation will survive but he must answer to his crimes.
In the end, Lance Armstrong is after all NO modern day Robin Hood. I doubt his initial motive to win at any cost is to help people with cancer. Yet, along the journey, he has successfully weaved a fairy tale story that inspired many, thus has helped to save lives. He will remain as a complex figure that many will find it difficult to place him clearly into any one category. Is he a hero or a villain? For me, he is both.
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