Excuses. Explanations. Reasons. They are all justification.
- The ends justify the means.
- Done with the best intentions.
- It is for your own good.
At some point we have all justified an action which either did not go according to plan or went precisely as we designed it.
Just, as in exactly
The ends justify the means. Innocence? Not really. Pretending to be innocent is more accurate.
But officer, I was just…
You are driving along the highway when a police unit flashes the lights and sounds the siren behind you. When the officer asks what you were doing, you answer, “I was just…” You were doing exactly this, even though the outcome was that.
Downplaying your intentions to avoid judgment is what you are now doing. You knew when you saw the speedometer spike you were doing wrong. Which excuse did you pick off the list?
- I normally obey the speed limit.
- Everyone else is going faster than I am.
- What is just this once going to hurt?
- I am in a hurry.
- My speedometer is broken any way.
Whichever it was, or whichever combination, you are justifying bad behavior to avoid the consequences of your actions. You were seeking a result, and the path you chose to get there met with judgment. Justification seeks to mitigate that judgment.
Just, as in fair
Done with the best intentions. One of the most common justifications comes when we explain to someone hurt by our choices they were made in the interest of fairness to the most number of people. The hurt is often caused by excluding one person or group of people.
Whether intentional or accidental, (emotional, physical, psychological) harm will come to someone based on many of our actions. In the case of accidental harm, apologies are the first reaction. When the harm is intentional, we justify it.
There were only three prizes, and I had to award them to the first entrants.- I could not invite everyone.
- In order to be accepted into the program, I had to tell our secret.
In each of the examples, the justification is based on limits set by an outside source. This is the simple shifting of blame onto a set of accepted parameters over which we do not have direct control.
By absolving ourselves of the rule-making, we absolve our actions by adhering to the rules. Rather than accepting our responsibility for the hurtful choices we make, we are justifying our choices by not making our actions personally intentional to the person we hurt. We do not want to be judged solely on the harm we cause.
Just, as in only
It is for your own good. Occasionally, we do things we know are going to hurt one person. We impose our safety, moral or ethical boundaries on others, especially our offspring, close friends and immediate families. By superimposing our will over theirs, we usurp the power they have in their own lives.
People whose rights to act independently have been taken away react strongly against the one who has taken those rights away. In order to mollify some of the emotion, we offer justification.
- If I had not taken away your car, you would have wrecked it.
- Your boss needed to know you had used that presentation for the last company.
- They would have found out eventually.
Each of these actions has an immediate impact. We think it will be short-lived and will be beneficial in the long run. Rather than making the choice a collaborative effort or allowing the other person to act independently, we substitute our judgment and justify it by claiming it was for the best.
Judgment
We go to great lengths to keep others from judging us. By supplying our rationale for the decisions we make, the acts we commit and the words we say, we seek to avoid judgment.
Justification to Avoid Judgment
Justification is different from an apology. Rarely are we penitent or contrite about the actions we justify. Instead, we count on others to look past their hurt feelings to see our why and deem our actions reasonable.
Some justification is warranted. When our actions have undesirable consequences, but offer benefits, they can be justified. The law provides examples of justification. Certain behaviors are not considered crimes even when the actions are justified.
Unfortunately, the bulk of justification is merely excuses for why we choose to do things without considering those who are affected by our choices. To avoid both the judgment and the justification, choose wisely and discuss your choices with those they will affect before you put your plan into action.
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Have you ever justified your actions to someone? Was it well received? Have you ever admitted you had no justification?
Binky
/ April 11, 2012The chocolate made me do it!
I was just testing my rocket car, officer!
I think most of us are pretty good at justifying our actions, even though what we do, what companies do, and what our governments do, is rarely justifiable.
Binky recently posted..Disadvantaged Youth
Red
/ April 11, 2012While I find justification bad enough, I find disheartening we take such justification and shake away the misdeeds without retribution or recompense. If that makes me hard-hearted, so be it.
Somehow, I think with all the benefits of chocolate, your excuse may not be well received 😉
Androgoth
/ April 11, 2012Yes it is always a wise move to put the brain in gear before engaging in dialogue 🙂 Well it is if one wishes to add something that will more than likely backfire in one’s face should something be spoken that is out of order, or that it affects someone a lot more than one figured…
I like your wonderful scripting ideas Red as they are always extremely accurate and indeed superbly offered 🙂
Have a fine rest of evening my great friend 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Red
/ April 11, 2012Thank you, Andro. I am hoping the one for tomorrow is as fun as I plan it to be. I had a ball writing it…although I would have liked it far better as a series of exploratory posts than an overview. This is a theme we shall revisit in greater detail, provided it is as well received with the rest of the crew. Recently, I have run into a great deal of justification which is more subversive than the examples herein. An interesting topic…
Androgoth
/ April 11, 2012Hey it will be fun, your thoughts on posting anything is always a fascinating read, something wicked or just downright funny 🙂
Hey I just wrote a two minute wonder for the letter ‘X’ and sometimes when we add posts like that they turn out a lot better than we ever expected and now I only have Y and Z to complete the challenge 🙂 I hope you like ‘Y’ 🙂 lol
Androgoth XXx
MJ Logan
/ April 11, 2012One Sunday afternoon, kids were racing up and down our street (speed limit 25) at what seemed like 100 miles per hour. I called the police who came out and stopped two cars.
Monday morning, I was running late for the train. I was hurrying, about 35ish, and not paying attention to the speed. Of course, I got pulled over.
At that time, our local PD did not have computers in their cars and everything had to be called in. As the officer approached my car, I heard the dispatcher quite clearly.
“This is the same guy that called yesterday to complain about kids racing on his street.”
I’m sure I was quite red. When he asked why I was speeding, I admitted I was hurrying to work and wasn’t paying attention to my speed.
I got lucky (a warning) that day…
Is not our reasoning for taking any action a justification? If I decide to buy the more expensive meat because it is healthier, am I not justifying spending more money for a healthier meal?
If you chastise one of your children for lying, your reason is to teach him/her that lying is wrong. That is a justification.
Whether our justification for an action is moral or not it another issue, and I think that morality is the point you’re making.
Justification can be bad, but it is not always. Often it is just a part of the decision process.
Derek Mansker
/ April 11, 2012That is a great story. Oh, the irony.
Derek Mansker recently posted..It is God’s work, He gets the credit.
Red
/ April 11, 2012No, not all justification is bad. Justifying is showing something as reasonable or just or right. The majority of our behaviors are never justified until they meet scrutiny. In your example, choosing more expensive meat for health is a great choice you would need to justify if you spent your entire income on expensive foods and expected charity to pay the remainder of your bills. It is not until someone else is affected by our choices many of us even think about the things we do. That was more the thrust of the post than the morality of what we do. Morality is opinion.
Angela
/ April 11, 2012Yes and Yes. It amazes me (as a people watcher) how quick human kind is to justify for themselves, but not so quick for others. We also tend to expect others to justify their behaviors to us in a way that we like. If not…. Looks like you have a good discernment of human nature too. 🙂 Angie
Angela recently posted..Why You Should Still Carry On
Red
/ April 11, 2012The sword is sharp on both sides, Angie. The most judgmental are often the ones with the most to justify. To be frank, I tend to ask why people do things as much for my own amusement as for the introspection I would have thought should have preceded the action. In my own way, I am passing judgment, but it is something I do not voice.
And for the most part, I do have decent discernment. Social psychology is quite an active hobby for me.
Derek Mansker
/ April 11, 2012I guess that is what we are doing everyday. Does the end justify the means? I hope there is a consistency to my life that I really don’t have to justify things I do, but that my life just is what it is.
Derek Mansker recently posted..It is God’s work, He gets the credit.
Red
/ April 11, 2012I prefer no justification. I tend to just do, but not until after I have considered the fallout.
Ahmnodt Heare
/ April 11, 2012I might be in the minority, but I don’t think speeding is always bad. I think that tailgating is a worse infraction, but few people ever get pulled over for tailgating.
Ahmnodt Heare recently posted..An Invitation for Santorum Supporters
Red
/ April 11, 2012I would like to have an ACME hammer in the bed of my truck for tailgaters….
prenin
/ April 12, 2012Having been subject to some pretty harrowing times with my father I watched him go from: “I’m sorry, it’ll never happen again!” to: “I have the right to chastise my children in any way I see fit.”
This after Social Services investigated him incompetently for child abuse when he left a bruise the size of a dinner plate on my younger brother’s back as well as sundry injuries to the rest of his anatomy.
I’ve seen first hand how dad excused the inexcusable and still considers himself to be in the right to the point he has made threats to kill me for my talking about his crimes because they happened behind closed doors and should not have been spoken of outside the home…
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
prenin recently posted..Tuesday – shopping in the rain.
Alexandra Heep
/ April 12, 2012Also, people who are genuinely honest and do not use justification to get out of things get the bad end of the stick because of others who do.
Now, of course that does not apply to something like speeding where you know you did it and it can be proven via electronic methods, I mean about other things.
I was once stopped for speeding, it was my very first offense, and while I did not try to talk my way out of it because I knew I had done wrong I was a little upset I did not get a “break” for having done everything else right (seat belts, papers in order, etc)
I was also very polite, and normally that stands for something, but it was never brought up in court, while others there had officers testifying to how good (or bad) the offenders handled their situations.
In the end, it was embarrassing to no end, but it taught me to not do that again.
Alexandra Heep recently posted..J is for John Sloman
Red
/ April 12, 2012Being polite and honest has always gone far for me. I have been given a few breaks in my time. I agree, those who do not justify, instead just do it right, do get shafted on the heels of the ne’er-do-wells. Good to see you tonight, Alex.
valentinelogar
/ April 12, 2012Not going down the path of justification of bad acts, we are all guilty of it at one time or another.
I have reached a point in my life where I readily admit to my many faults and willing claim my acts are what they are, because I wanted to do them in the way I did them. Pfft!
I do not live my life without fault, clearly no one does. I do try to live my life without intentionally causing harm to others. So, if I hurt another person it is without intent, I will not justify my actions but I will readily apologize to them for hurting their feelings.
valentinelogar recently posted..Cover your Head Woman
Red
/ April 12, 2012We are so near the same place as to be standing in one another’s shoes. While I am far less apologetic than most, I find it a rare occasion any more when an apology is in order. As to my past, I have a standard answer…This is your stop. Please step off.
valentinelogar
/ April 13, 2012For me, it is easy enough to say; “I am sorry your feelings were hurt”.
The above is much different than; “I am sorry I hurt your feelings”.
I am usually not sorry I did something, there is a reason why I did it and that reason is generally valid.
valentinelogar recently posted..Versatile Blogger
Red
/ April 17, 2012Amen.