Subscribing to the Principle.

I said I wasn’t going to write anything else about the movie Mary Magdalene, but there’s one thing I want to say because it touches on a matter which is important to me.

Jesus and the disciples have entered Jerusalem and are heading for the temple. Jesus is visibly appalled by what he sees going on there and wants to intervene, but he knows that causing trouble will bring terrible consequences. He looks heavenwards and sees an image in his mind’s eye – a bloody arm affixed to a piece of wood by a large nail driven through the wrist. This is the pivotal moment: to do what is easy or what is right. It passes in a couple of seconds, but it’s the most profound moment in the film so far because of what it represents about the prosecution of life in general.

I remember when I faced that moment once, and I did what was right. I’d been in similar situations before and taken the easy route, but I’d learned the lesson. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I didn’t even have to face crucifixion in consequence, merely a mind-numbing brand of mental torment.

Oddly enough, it made no practical difference. The decision was taken out of my hands and disaster followed, but at least my conscience was clear. Should that matter? I don’t know; I suppose it’s a matter of opinion. There are those who believe that life has no meaning and no purpose, so the easiest route is always the one to follow.

I’ve never been able to subscribe to that view, however much I’ve wanted to occasionally. I suppose it’s why one of the few things I heard as a child has stayed with me all my life: ‘To thine own self be true.’