26. The Concept of Divine Retribution

Lately, I've been thinking.

There are people who cheat, take others' goodwill for granted, complain more than anyone else despite putting in no effort, and run away when responsibility looms.

When such a person suddenly breaks down, suffers a painful experience at work, fails, or loses trust, I find myself whispering this in my heart.

"Ah, divine retribution has fallen upon them."

I usually don't believe in unscientific things. Concepts like gods or fate are illogical and unprovable. So, I usually dismiss it as coincidence or just a logical outcome of their actions.

Yet, when a moment arrives where the world seems to balance itself out in a strangely convenient way, something deep in my chest aches.

Perhaps retribution really does exist.

I want to believe in a future where those who work hard are rewarded. I don't want to live in a world where the sincere, the earnest, and the kind are the only ones who lose out.

But reality is unfair. Cheaters get promoted first, smooth talkers get praised, and those who work hard and honestly are the ones who suffer.

And yet.

As time passes, I feel like things somehow balance out. Those who keep running away eventually sink. Those who spread lies lose trust. The words and attitudes they used to take the easy way out eventually come back to haunt them. It must be karma.

Humans shape their lives through the attitudes they accumulate. When that becomes visible, we call it divine retribution.

If that's the case, then conversely, will something happen in the future for those who are kind, work hard, put in the effort, and yet remain unrewarded?

The opposite of divine retribution. If I had to put it into words, yes. A blessing. It doesn't have to be anything flashy. It doesn't have to be winning the lottery or a dramatic reversal like in a TV show.

For example, meeting a friend you truly connect with. Effort quietly bearing fruit. Hard work that was ignored suddenly being recognized. A lonely night being replaced by hope before you even realize it.

I just hope that such quiet, certain happiness reaches them.

If there is divine retribution, there must also be blessings.

When you work hard but aren't rewarded, when you keep pushing even when you're tired, when you move forward while crying—God is watching that effort, too. That is why I choose to believe again today.

That divine retribution will fall on the cheaters, and blessings will fall on the sincere, somewhere in this world. It doesn't have to be science. It can be superstition. I just prefer a world where I can believe in that.