Atonement has to be voluntary and come from a genuine place of repentance. If I force someone to atone, that is a punishment. And if we don't force people to make restitution to their victims, well, the bully just goes on bullying, and we end up in our current political situation.
This might just be a matter of semantics, but I would still consider the famously accommodating prisons of Sweden, which have a heavy emphasis on rehabilitation, to be a punishment- if a more lenient one than what the US offers.
Anyway, I am sorry for bombarding you with an essay post as a response. Just wanted to try to not be misconstrued as defending some of Nietzsche's other, dumber ideas.
Sorry if I have been annoying, or if my words came off as disrespectful. Neither have been my intent, and I hope you find this conversation as engaging as I have.
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