Revised: "It is not necessary to do the things you know are wrong, in order to achieve an important goal."

I once read in an article, “to win at any cost makes for hollow victories,” and I find these words to be very true. Lying, backstabbing, and cheating to get what you want is not, under any circumstances, the answer. The greatest tragedies in history once stemmed from a ruthless leader plotting his victory at the expense of other people’s lives. On a smaller scale, issues like steroids being used in sports is also an example of how people are willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top. It is not necessary to do the things you know are wrong in order to achieve a goal, no matter how “important” it is to you. You simply cannot justify consciously making a choice that you know will have a negative effect on the people around you, just to get your way.

In this day and age, the “winning-at-any-cost” attitude is a common mindset amongst many teens today. An example: athletes. Casually brushed off by adults as “over competitive”, or “occasionally aggressive”, they tend to fly under the radar as nothing more than a promising sports player. However, some of these seemingly perfect athletes are prepared to do literally anything in order to get a trophy, medal or even to win an ordinary ribbon. Whether they turn to drugs, steroids, or simply playing dirty, their underlying intentions are clear: they are willing to do whatever it takes to win, no matter who gets hurt or in trouble in the process. This is definitely a very real and relatable topic for teenagers nowadays. And if these corrupted athletes have grown up thinking that what they are doing is okay, who knows what it may lead to when they grow older and get a job! What else might they be able to excuse then?

Now, you might be thinking – what’s wrong with having a goal? There is nothing wrong with having a goal, it is just the way that some people set about to achieve the goal that is the problem. Think about it this way: even Adolf Hitler had a goal. He wanted to “create” a wholly German nation where everyone was blond-haired and blue-eyed. He wanted to “purify” the Aryan race, through the elimination of “sub-humans” including Jews, Asians, black Africans, etc. This dream, this sick, sadistic dream, eventually led to the death of over 11 million people in the Holocaust. And yet, as callous a human as Hitler may have been... he was still a human. And despite everything, he probably did have a conscience. Which is why it is even more appalling that he did what he did, just to create that atrocious idea of perfection.

Both of these scenarios – one on a larger scale and one on a smaller scale – are examples of why it is definitely not necessary to do the things you know are wrong in order to achieve an important goal. Although, hopefully, none of us can relate to causing the widespread death of 11 million people, I am sure that we all know of a peer or a friend who has that “win-at-all-cost” mindset. And even though they may have temporary success with that attitude, it is bound to be their greatest downfall in the future. Justifying minor cases like playing dirty in soccer in order to win a game at our age may lead to more serious issues when they get older. So please, if you find that you are the kind of person who is willing to trample anyone to get to the top, think again, reconsider your actions, and do what you know is right. It will definitely benefit you more in the long run!