How could Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury and a forgiving person in many other aspects of his life, reconcile his Christian values with the burning of heretics? This case shows the desire of institutions, and the individuals inside those institutions, to use all force necessary to preserve their power. And those who challenge entrenched institutions should be prepared to face an onslaught that could violate all the values of that institution in the struggle to hold power.
Charles Bowden, author of Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields, said he interviewed an assassin there who has killed and tortured hundreds of people. He said, to his surprise, the man was not a monster and is a guy you could enjoy having a beer with. And that it was almost more disturbing to realize that normal people can do monstrous things.
“The gangster looks so frightening / with his Luger in his hand / But when he gets to to his children / he’s a family man”