I ran into an old friend who has spent his life as a pastor, studying spirituality and people. Here’s how he paraphrased one of my favorite Cormac McCarthy quotes:
“While many often claim that God will punish those who do wrong, God’s will isn’t something we can assume to know. Men with dark pasts live comfortable lives, rise to positions of great power, die peacefully, and are even honored in death. It is a mistake to expect too much justice in this world. The idea that evil rarely pays off, is overemphasized—if there were no rewards for wrongdoing, people would avoid it, and virtue wouldn’t hold the same value in resisting it.”
“So what are good people to do?” I asked.
He smiled as if he had heard that one many times. “Keep doing good things and expect nothing in return. Kindness is always a counterbalance to evil. And joy inevitably finds its way into the hearts of the faithful servant.”
