Hi Charlie,
You shouldn't beat yourself up over being "tempted". I would too, if someone did something unspeakable to one of my kids. So would everyone, except maybe J. Christ, Ghandi and a couple of others.
All it means is that our veneer of civilisation is wafer thin and only cerebral - and in extremis we revert to the natural reactions, gut ones, of our pre-civilisation ancestors.
Would I go further than being tempted if things were unspeakable enough? I don't know, I might. A lot of people do in wars. Do I feel ashamed that I might? No way, it's how we are. We aren't entirely "thinking" creatures. Would I think it was wrong if I did? Sure, but that's just the thinking kicking in, which is easy until something awful happens.
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