Bad lockdown conscience

A terrible consequence of the past two+ years that I want to note in a general way: 

A trend with some very online people displaying a manifestly bad conscience about having gone along with and vehemently argued for the lockdown, masking, and vaccination. Their behavior is what results when conscience torments, in this case because they gave in to fear, and in the process, harmed their followers who were persuaded by them.

Those who based what they said specifically on "love of neighbor" seem to be worse off than others, I have to say, in this regard of becoming more and more outrageous in their loud and irrational insistence that the universe owes them something that they are too angry to identify.

Their vituperation is increasingly aimed at good things: God, Christianity, marriage, even children. They question everything. They don't have any real arguments, but rather, emotionally rail against anyone who speaks out about what is undeniable, namely that there was a real deception, to which they fell prey. They especially direct their ire at anyone who warns -- in general -- of the consequences of the current trajectory of society in many areas, and the need for a return to a traditional way of life.

I really won't name those I have observed; that's not the point. I'm alerting anyone tempted to argue with such people, to the phenomenon. These were, before the Great Temptation, level-headed enough, but now are bent on dragging everyone down to a permanent state of cynicism; we went through a winnowing time, sadly, and this is one of the results. The general profile includes admitting to and even vaunting self-medication, drug use, and forms of paganism; finally, the descent into a nihilistic attitude that they can't help venting over and over. They have lost hope because they have lost their sensitivity to their consciences, which have now become avenging. 

Thus, argument will have little effect. They are like the Narnian dwarves in The Last Battle. Having beaten down conscience for so long, they are blind and deaf -- and sometimes even insane.

It would be better for them, if they could understand, simply to say, "I was wrong and I apologize for my part in what happened. I regret not listening to those who tried to warn me." Maybe follow up with some penance, like remaining silent for a time. Peace follows repentance. Anyone who has struggled with his conscience (and I am certainly one!) knows the happiness that follows true repentance.