A Real Question

Before Chigurh kills Carson

he asks him a question:

"If the rule you followed led you to this

of what use was the rule?’

The answer is not simple.

The answer is not easy.

A real question.

You follow a rule to maintain your course.

You follow it to fulfill a particular goal.

If you follow a Marxist rule,

it is to eventually accomplish perfect communism.

If you follow a capitalist rule,

it is to eventually become rich.

If you follow a Christian rule,

it is to eventually save your soul.

There is always an ultimate goal at the end.

But what if the true purpose of the rule is the rule itself?

The purpose of the rule is to have a rule.

A rule that keeps you going in a certain direction.

A rule that gives you a direction.

A direction, any direction.

Better than no direction at all.

Where there is no direction,

there is only the void.

A riddle.

The rule is good because it is a rule,

not because of where it led you.

The killer is aware of what he is asking.

Carson says:

‘Are you aware of how crazy you are?’

Chigurh is not crazy at all.

He is asking a real question.

A question about the nature of choices

A question about the nature of randomness.

A question about will.

A real question.