When good people do bad things

Are we up to task of forgiving the indoctrinated?

-  HARRY HOPKINS

RECENTLY I had a conversation with a local lady about The Light newspaper. I had just delivered a batch of papers to a shopkeeper who displays them on her counter for customers to take.

While I was chatting to 'Janet', an elderly lady came into the shop. No sooner had she caught sight of the papers than she erupted in an explosion of sheer fury.

She asked: "What on earth are you doing promoting that awful paper?

"It's nothing but conspiracy theories. It says that the vaccine is killing people. It is dangerous in the extreme. It's evil and vile and makes out that governments are bad and are knowingly harming people." She uttered much else besides and with each exhortation she worked herself up into a sorry state. "I'll never set foot in this shop again," were her parting words as she stomped out.

Janet was somewhat shell-shocked at this outpouring and didn't say a word. She had previously told me that one or two customers had said they didn't like the paper (to which she had replied: "Well you don't need to read it then"), but it didn't take long for her monthly batch to be taken by enthusiastic readers.

She had never seen this customer before and had never encountered this level of hostility.

I made an instant decision to go out of the shop and catch up with this lady, as I could see she was distressed.

I caught up with her, and in my most sympathetic and concerned demeanour (genuinely felt), I asked if she was alright because she seemed so upset.