By Lina Martinez
So many conflicts in life result in feeling that rage deep down, and it’s so bad that we want to inflict pain and suffering upon the perpetrator. Whether it is a high speed collision or someone you know found themselves a victim of an unwarranted attack, we live in an age where revenge is, seemingly, justified. But is this really the case? Let’s burrow further into this concept.
Revenge is an emotion, not a reason
We’re human after all, so the idea of perpetrating revenge on someone, especially when they’ve done something to hurt you or a loved one is completely normal. But, we know deep down that revenge is one of those human emotions that isn’t conducive to solving a problem in the best way. The problem with taking revenge out on someone is that it feels great, but you only get this feeling for a short period of time after you’ve done the deed. If you decide to do something to get with someone, how does this elevate your status? It doesn’t. It makes you know better than the perpetrator. The temptation to exact revenge is more prominent just after the incident. Anger and hate and all those negative emotions breed justification for revenge, but with any evenly balanced argument, it’s better for you to take a breather and to step away from the situation
Should we let justice take its course?
The dissatisfaction with modern policing plants the seed in the minds of a lot of people to take revenge. But as far as human emotions are concerned, people confuse justice with revenge. The difference is that justice is rational, for the most part; and revenge is emotional for the most part. When we consider whether to let justice take its course, remember, the punishment is given out in accordance with the crime. So if you find yourself in the unenviable position of being torn between going to the authorities or undertaking revenge, you need to think about the legal avenues that can benefit you. If you were caught up in an automobile accident, there are infinite accident attorneys, like Gray Law LLC, that fight your corner. Ultimately, when you think about the differences between justice and revenge, and what it can do for you, it can feel unfair to put someone who you know is guilty through the justice system. But this is about closure at the end of the day. Yes, we hear about outcomes that we think is completely unfair, but this goes back in relation to the punishment meeting the crime. Lots of us feel that a 25 year sentence is unfair for someone who has committed a grave injustice, but this is all about rehabilitation. It can take a lot of time to get your head around it, especially when you’ve been hurt so badly, in either a physical or an emotional sense, but, the justice system is there for a reason, despite your own personal opinions on it.
Will you feel better if you exact revenge?
As far as psychological experiments have shown, revenge doesn’t make you feel better. But we all think that we will, because it’s that feeling of being done wrong that we need to right ourselves. And the fact that we’ve undertaken this revenge, and not left it to someone else, we would argue that we feel a sense of validation by doing this. This is seldom the case. The emotional repercussions of revenge are many, but if you feel that you need to take something into your own hands, the first step is to be mindful in what you intend on doing. The impact you need to consider is not about how it makes you feel, and not just how it makes the perpetrators feel, but everybody else involved in the chain. Revenge is, after all, a selfish action, so when we think about committing the act of revenge, are we doing this to satisfy our own selfish needs?
What about karma?
Karma is another kettle of fish completely, but lots of us view the act of karma as something exacting revenge for us, which is completely the wrong attitude. It’s the most conflicting emotion, when you first think about doing your utmost to not exact revenge, but to leave the perpetrator to it and they will get theirs eventually. This, for a lot of us, doesn’t feel fulfilling at all. But it’s one of those emotions that takes a lot of time to develop. But when you think about it, when you’ve been wronged by someone on a personal level, especially when it comes to friendships, should you consider revenge? Instead, you can have faith that they will get there in the end. And surely, this is a healthier frame of mind for you to have. Revenge is something that people mull over, it festers in the thoughts, and it’s a very toxic emotion. And all of this hate and bile will manifest itself as stress and illness, so when you think about exacting revenge on someone who, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t that important, is it even worth your time? You should leave karma to do its job. It’s like when you were bullied in school, you look back and you realized that the best course of action should have been to not rise to the bait, which is what they were out for all along. And then when you see exactly what they are doing now, and it’s unsurprising that they haven’t made a success of themselves, or they are unhappy, then surely this is karma in motion? But what would hurt them even more is that now, if you have no idea who they are. The fact that they didn’t make an impact on your life at all you will hurt them, and you will be none the wiser. This is karma, and there was no need for you to exact any revenge.
Naturally, revenge is something we all feel, and this is the result of us feeling completely wronged, to the core of our bones. It’s an emotion far too common now, you should think how much of a selfish act it is, but also the damage it could cause you. Confucius said “the ultimate revenge is living well and being happy. Hateful people can’t stand happy people. Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” wise words, but very salient ones.
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