Two thoughts. One, I know why I somewhat yearn for cosmic justice: that those who do harm don’t get off scot-free. And who knows, maybe Pol Pot is paying for his murderous deeds somehow, somewhere. Maybe the guy who raped you is living with/paying for his deeds somehow, somewhere. Since cosmic justice is unverifiable, however, worldly justice, with all its imperfections, will have to do.

But a second line of thought leads me to wonder why I would care for a variant of cosmic justice which kicks in after death. What does it matter, at that point? Pol Pot was a genocidal tyrant, and now he’s dead. That’s it. Why spend any more of one’s life worrying over his deeds?

Anyway, I’m tired and incoherent. Before I descend into complete babble, I do want to say that your grace in how you view that man’s life and how you view your own was unexpected—and quite moving.