Diary of a Hack:Epilogue

At church this morning, a friend asked me how things were going with the hack. Was it still going on? Winding down? Any new developments? We talked for awhile, and I explained that the worst seemed to be over.

At which point she angled her head, squinted her eyes thoughtfully at mine and asked the question of all questions, the one that I haven't really had the luxury--or inclincation--to explore until now.

 "But why you? It doesn't make any sense."

Why me?

 I looked up at the altar and the Book of Job came to mind. I've never liked that book. Except for a few Old Testament scholars, who could like it? All that unnecessary suffering and tribulation heaped on a basically good man who had done nothing to deserve it.

But my God doesn't single people out for brutal treatment. So, no, I don't see myself as a Job-ette in all this.

Of course, in the spiritual cafeteria of today's world, it's easy to shop around for other cosmologies and other answers. There's Karma for instance, such a deeply satisfying and even rational concept. Then there's the idea that we create our own reality, that we are as we think. And let's not forget the notion of magnetic attraction, the supposed rule of the universe that light attracts dark. 

"It could be that the hackers confused my small-fry firm with the late, great Fitzgerald Communications of Boston," I explained to my friend. "Or it could be dumb luck." I thought for a second. "Or the Secret Service agent I spoke with could be absolutely right, and cyber thugs  are turning their attention to the little guys of the business world."

That last explanation makes the best sense. It seems that, in the digital realm, we all have a target on our back.

In which case, we may all need a refresher course on the Book of Job.