I'm re-reading this wonderful play by Robert Bolt that tells the story of Sir Thomas More, a man whose peers viciously turned on him when he quietly but steadfastly refused to take an oath manufactured by Henry VIII that violated his conscience. Life experience allows me to read this with a new pair of eyes, for where I once pondered why everyone hated More so much, now it is perfectly obvious: he made them feel guilty for doing what they knew was wrong. Rather than admit this to themselves, they had to kill him in a vain attempt to abolish his memory.
I used to believe that when confronted with the enormity of his acts a man would repent, but I've come to learn this is so rare that it likely requires a religious experience to make it happen. Perhaps only that can enable a man to transcend his "fight or flight" instinct and become something more than a mere animal, since a belief in a supernatural presence who is immune to your lies will make you come clean.
I used to believe that when confronted with the enormity of his acts a man would repent, but I've come to learn this is so rare that it likely requires a religious experience to make it happen. Perhaps only that can enable a man to transcend his "fight or flight" instinct and become something more than a mere animal, since a belief in a supernatural presence who is immune to your lies will make you come clean.
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