I'd bet it's a common human experience.
You’re facing a decision. Something like: Should you stay a little
longer in the office or make it home for dinner with the family? You
consider the options: Are you rationalizing selfishness, or doing the responsible thing? You choose a course of action, believing that you've been honest with yourself.
Now, what happens when you come across new 'evidence' which shows that you're actually on the wrong path? What now?
That's where character comes in. People with moral strength have the guts to stop short and admit a mistake. They have the courage to change direction.
People with weak values keep boring ahead, irrespective of the facts.
It's what we call a Pharaoh personality.
Pharaoh obviously didn’t like the Jewish people’s presence in his
land, and that was a - or perhaps the - reason behind his evil
behavior. On the other hand, did you know that G-d told Abraham his descendants would be enslaved for four hundred years (Genesis 15:13-14)? Since it’s conceivable that Pharaoh was aware of this Abrahamic vision (would Abraham have kept it a secret?), perhaps Pharaoh thought he was doing G-d’s work! Implausible as it may sound, the question begs to be asked: Is it possible that Pharaoh – aside from personally disliking the Jewish people - thought he was doing G-d’s work, and helping the Hebrews live out their Divinely-ordained history?
No.
Here’s why.
Irrespective of why Pharaoh launched his slavery program, he was eventually confronted by Moses, a man who showed his G-dly credentials and gave him clear instructions: "Let them go. You’re doing something wrong. You and your people will suffer if you continue".
Yet Pharaoh continued. And Pharaoh suffered. But he refused to change course; it took ten devastating plagues to loosen his grip. What kind of a person looks facts (Moses’ message from G-d) and self-destruction in the face, and continues on his wrong-headed path?
A person who can’t admit he made a mistake. A person who can’t find the courage to change direction.
In this sense, Pharaoh lives inside many of us.
When you hand your inner Moses the reins of your life, you'll find the strength to rise above your personal Pharaoh, escape your individual Egypt and find the way to your own Promised Land.
When you look deeper, you’ll find that Torah's the story of your life.
ב"ה