ON “NEIGHBOUR OR ENEMY”

ON “NEIGHBOUR OR ENEMY”

Wendell Berry said: “In 1569, in Holland, a Mennonite name Dirk Willems, under threat of capital sentence as a heretic, was fleeing from arrest, pursued by a “thief-catcher .” As they ran across a frozen body of water, the thief-catcher broke through the ice. Without help, he would have drowned… What Dirk Willems did was turn back, put out his hands to his pursuer, and save his life. The thief-catcher, who then of course wanted to let his rescuer go, was forced to arrest him.”

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