To acknowledge a pattern of repeatedly breaking, of in fact never failing to break, would have meant acknowledging our powerlessness, admitting we could never act righteously.
But you couldn't always rise to thrills or sobs, and if there was one emotion that the British public loved to wallow in it was being righteously indignant.
So isn't wisdom to enjoy what we can, you know, enjoy it righteously, be ethical, etc. Don't we have to join what we just read up with the next section?