In 1963, John Profumo, Britain’s Secretary of State for War, was caught having an affair with Christine Keeler, who was also the supposed mistress of a Russian spy. Mr. Profumo lied about it in the House of Commons, but was soon shown to be guilty. In contrition, he resigned his position and spent the rest of his life doing good works, starting by cleaning toilets at Toynbee House, a London charity.
The point – which isn’t original to me – is that Mr. Profumo understood “honor”, and how to atone for his sins. He truly felt remorse for his actions and, even though no real damage was done except to his own reputation, in order to redeem himself in the eyes of man and God he worked diligently at helping others. For the final 43 years of his life.
Today, politicians and government officials and make the most egregious errors and tell the most outrageous lies, yet expect to be fully forgiven after a tepid, “sorry”. If they even do that.
Just the latest example is Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilshack. He hastily fired Shirley Sharrod based on an internet video of her supposedly racist remarks, then within 24 hours had to apologize for dragging her reputation through a muddy rut. And yet, despite the flagrancy and offensiveness of his actions, nothing will really change in Vilshack’s life. He won’t resign; he won’t be punished; his career will remain intact. After all, he said he was sorry, and isn’t that enough?
I’d send him a toilet brush, but I doubt he’d have a clue.
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