[ Kirk understood the whys. He knew them, because he shared more in common with those men than he liked to admit. He could have become those men, if not for those like Bones, Spock, Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura at his side.
He did not agree with their actions, of course. He never would, and he condemned the paths they had taken. But to remain a good man, he needed to acknowledge, at least to himself, that he could have easily walked their darker paths. That one day he still might, if he wasn't careful. ]
It would certainly seem so. Come on, let's go get a drink.