I dunno. On one hand, eternity is so long that we cannot possibly comprehend it even if we tried. That seems a tad bit excessive for transgressions committed in the tiny blip of one’s own mortal existence.

On the other hand, I think eventually you’d get used to the fire and brimstone and burning pitchforks and just start enjoying things regardless.

True punishment would be forcing those people to live the lives of every one of their victims, to directly face the consequences of their actions and accept accountability for what they’ve done, and then begin the long road to redemption and eventual forgiveness if they so choose to see the error of their ways, make amends, and change for the better in mind, body and soul.

Of course, that’s a fantasy. The evil dickheads will die and never have to face any consequences for fucking everything up.

🎣

The problem is that as we get younger candidates who were active in their youth online or on social media, the likelihood that you will find a squeaky-clean candidate gets lower and lower. It’s not that politicians of old were paragon of society, it’s just that the dumb shit they did as kids wasn’t preserved forever in the largest archive of human knowledge for anyone to trawl up literal decades later.

If anyone found my old reddit account they’d probably consider some of the stuff I’ve posted there over the 12 or so years of when I was active disqualifying on it’s face.

We, as a society, are going to have to get used to excusing some historical bad behavior in favor of believing that people are indeed capable of positive change over time.