SHOULD THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS?

A person must do things for the right reasons, and always be honest in whatever he seeks to do

WITH 2017 drawing to a close, I got to thinking about working on something that I can be proud of by the end of 2018. This has been something that I’ve been doing for a few years now; I take up one project and work on it throughout the year and see where it ultimately lands me. From past experiences, I’ve realised that determination and perseverance are the keys to success.

For this year, I decided to join a few running events, as I’ve never in my life joined any. Being overweight, my knees always protest whenever I strain them, so I always thought that running wasn’t for me. However, I resolved to put my pessimism aside and try out a few first.

I admit that at first it was challenging. I joined my first 5km running event and as I crossed the finishing line, there was an overwhelming feeling of joy. I became addicted to the sense of satisfaction as I collected finisher medals one by one.

In the span of one month, I have successfully joined and completed six running events. It was then that I realised this was something that I could continue doing for a long time to come. If you had told me three months ago that I would be joining one running event after another, I would have never believed you.

That’s the funny thing about willpower and tenacity — we realise its powers only when we set our hearts and minds to accomplish something.

That aside, I would like to share something a little less heartening that had happened at one of the running events that I had joined.

This particular event took place on the newly opened 3rd Klang Bridge. There were two categories: a 5km fun run and 10km open event. Naturally, I joined the fun run event because I knew I wasn’t ready to take on anything bigger just yet. The running route was made available on Facebook, and most runners knew exactly where to run towards and make U-turns.

The bridge itself (as with the roads leading up and down) was closed to the public to make way for runners on the day of the event. I was thankful that the safety of the runners was made a priority, because the event organiser made sure that there were no chances of anyone getting hit or run over at any point during the run.

However, I was disappointed with some of the so-called runners who took part in the 5km fun run category. Halfway during the run, suddenly there was no sight of the event crew members. A number of participants took this opportunity to cut across the divider and have their distance cut short to almost half.

Instead of running (or brisk walking, if you like) all the way up and down the bridge and making a U-turn about a kilometre after, these dishonest runners jumped over from the other side midway in order to reach the finishing line earlier and claim their finisher medals.

I was too much in shock to say anything, so I shot them dirty looks and shook my head in disgust before continuing. Initially, I was angry that some people would do such a thing.

Why join the race when you intend to cheat?

Why collect your finisher medal when you didn’t actually finish?

Why brag about running 5km on social media when you lied about the whole thing in the first place?

It’s sad that some people no longer have the decency to do something honestly anymore. What is the point of obtaining something that clearly wasn’t earned?

I saw parents, who were pushing the strollers of their babies, complete their run, and they didn’t cheat.

I saw elderly people, who struggled to complete their run, and they didn’t cheat.

I saw a man without a leg and using only crutches to complete his run, and he didn’t cheat.

I have one piece of advice here: don’t bother joining if your intentions are corrupt.

Do things for the right reasons, and always be honest in whatever you seek to do.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.