The winning king: When the outcome determines morality

In contemporary society, a harsh truth emerges: success turns the bold into heroes, while failure silences them. The winner becomes king, and the loser becomes the black sheep of the family. This dynamic reveals how our moral and social judgments ultimately rely on a single variable: the final outcome.

The Law of Success and Failure

Imagine two identical scenarios at the start. You decide to leave your stable job to venture into financial speculation. If you return with profits, those around you will cheer: “What a genius move! This kid has a bright future!” But if you come back in debt, the same people will accuse you of wastefulness and irresponsibility. “How could you abandon your stability to chase stupid dreams?”

The morality of your actions doesn’t change—only the wallet does. Yet, it is the wallet that completely redefines the narrative around your perseverance.

Perseverance and Results: A Matter of Definition

What makes perseverance noble or suicidal? Losing a million now, then losing another by persisting? You have clearly failed. But losing a million, then gaining ten by refusing to give up? Suddenly, you’re visionary. The difference isn’t in your character or courage—it lies in the final numbers.

It is this relativity that makes the notions of “good” or “bad” purely conditional. You haven’t changed between these two stories. Your principles haven’t varied. Only the outcome has transformed your public image.

The Example of Jack Ma: Risk and Retrospective Legitimization

Consider the journey of Alibaba’s founder. A respected university professor, he left his position, sold his house to start his business. If this personal investment had led to disaster, his family would have reproached him bitterly. “Why did you abandon security? And that house? Look at what it’s worth now—ten times what you sold it for!”

But Alibaba’s success turned this act into a heroic founding moment. His parents, his wife—all reevaluated their judgment. What might have seemed reckless madness became a visionary calculation.

In a moment of clarity, beyond the applause, he could have recognized the irony: the same decision could be praised or condemned, not based on its intrinsic wisdom, but on what the following years would decide. Perhaps he would have gone down to the cafeteria at the bottom of the building, bought himself a beer, eaten some peanuts, and reflected on a bitter truth: in a world where only the winning king deserves respect, courage is just risky miscalculation until proven otherwise.