TheNightOwl Posted September 17, 2011 #1 Share Posted September 17, 2011 (edited) I was wondering; what are your thoughts on revenge? In what situations is it okay, and when does it go too far? For example, is it okay to murder someone if you know they are a murderer and will get away with it? If you have been wronged, will vengeance actually help you gain any peace? Edited September 17, 2011 by TheNightOwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Kitchen Posted September 17, 2011 #2 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I was wondering; what are your thoughts on revenge? In what situations is it okay, and when does it go too far? For example, is it okay to murder someone if you they are a murderer and will get away with it? If you have been wronged, will vengeance actually help you gain any peace? Technically, it's never okay. It's for the weak, the emotionally weak and the weak minded. Dictator has your family killed? It may be right to go solve the issue of an oppressive dictator, but otherwise avenging your family does nothing for anyone but satisfy your own emotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozner Posted September 17, 2011 #3 Share Posted September 17, 2011 There might be cases where it's is justified, but revenge is usually a very self-destructive thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratte Posted September 17, 2011 #4 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I think it depends on the action taken against you to begin with. As I've had to say a lot lately to get Nikolai to calm down; "Don't get mad, get even." If it's something small, like someone moving your stuff around when you don't want them to, by all means, exact revenge. When Nikolai's little brother messes with his blinds(and my personal things ), we move his towel to a different hook. Childish? Yes. But revenge is sweet. (The towell thing REALLY makes him angry for whatever reason, just as people messing with my things without at least asking first) As for big things, I don't know what to tell you. The worst situation I've been in was being forced by my biological mother to take care of my aging grandmother for four years. The only revenge I took there was Sean dumping a pint of friend rice on top of the cabinets before we all moved out. My grandmother was put in a nursing home, and my mother was left to figure out what that smell was and why no one wanted to buy the house. It's up to the individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Wearer of Hats Posted September 17, 2011 #5 Share Posted September 17, 2011 It's only right if you're the last surviving member of an ancient lineage of either royalty, sages or various semi-mythic beings and you're hunting the beings who slaughtered your family. Especially if along the way you meet a feisty woman, a lovable coward and a gentle giant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MstrMsn Posted September 17, 2011 #6 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Revenge is never ok, nor is it ever justifiable. All it does is warp the ideal of what Justice stands for. Same thing with vengence. However, if the actions that you feel are necessary for there to be justice within the society that you live, and are able to justify those actions showing that there is no personal gain to you in any manner, then yes, I say go for it. But, you have to ask yourself why you need to do this. Is it as payback for what someone did to you? Is it to make you feel better? Or is justice truly being served? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazahel Posted September 17, 2011 #7 Share Posted September 17, 2011 If you have been wronged, will vengeance actually help you gain any peace? I think it could probably help. If it helps put your mind at ease then I guess that would help in finding peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilly Posted September 17, 2011 #8 Share Posted September 17, 2011 They say, "Revenge is a dish best served cold". Personally, I tend to opt for seeking justice instead. I don't know what I'd do if there were no avenue open to pursue justice. I have a strong feeling that if my children were somehow harmed I could seek revenge, and in a stone cold manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashore Posted September 17, 2011 #9 Share Posted September 17, 2011 There's the notion that living a good life is the best revenge. That's the one I follow most often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthenno Posted September 17, 2011 #10 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I wonder what, in this context, is the difference between 'seeking justice' and 'seeking revenge'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozner Posted September 17, 2011 #11 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I wonder what, in this context, is the difference between 'seeking justice' and 'seeking revenge'? They can be the same thing, but not always. Even when they are the same though, the feelings and motivations behind them are different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.H. Holmes Posted September 17, 2011 #12 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Revenge, or getting even, is a common human reaction to a perceived wrong done against them. I suppose it is all about the situation and the pros/cons of seeking out retribution in the particular scenario. Revenge can either help someone feel more empowered or put them into an even deeper hole of despair. When the risks of getting even outweigh the benefits, then I would so that "no" it would not be the best option. Usually, the desire for retribution is deeply rooted in emotions, either insecurity or shame. This takes the form of anger, which is a secondary emotion, and can influence a person to act recklessly. Once the initial emotional conflict has calmed down, a person needs to look deep inside themselves and ask whether revenge is the best option to find a peace within themselves. I believe that most of us have wanted to do onto others as they did onto us, but at what point does that become self destructive? Too many variable to make a sweeping statement as "yes" or "no" in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNightOwl Posted September 18, 2011 Author #13 Share Posted September 18, 2011 They say, "Revenge is a dish best served cold". Personally, I tend to opt for seeking justice instead. I don't know what I'd do if there were no avenue open to pursue justice. I have a strong feeling that if my children were somehow harmed I could seek revenge, and in a stone cold manner. You see, that's the kind of situation I want people to think about. What if a dear family member of yours was murdered, and you knew for a fact who killed him/her but you had no way of gaining legal justice (or perhaps the legal justice that you could get was not good enough). What would you do? I have a feeling that my rage would cause be to do something bad. The only thing that could possibly cause me to stop would be the thought that my family member would not want me to risk my freedom to avenge them. As for the scenario where legal justice was doled out, but you felt it was not enough, what could you do then? What if the criminal served their time and was honestly sorry for what they had done? I once read about a couple in the Northwest who forgave and then became good friends with the people who killed their daughter (in a home invasion I believe) after they were relased from prison. Revenge, or getting even, is a common human reaction to a perceived wrong done against them. I suppose it is all about the situation and the pros/cons of seeking out retribution in the particular scenario. Revenge can either help someone feel more empowered or put them into an even deeper hole of despair. When the risks of getting even outweigh the benefits, then I would so that "no" it would not be the best option. Usually, the desire for retribution is deeply rooted in emotions, either insecurity or shame. This takes the form of anger, which is a secondary emotion, and can influence a person to act recklessly. Once the initial emotional conflict has calmed down, a person needs to look deep inside themselves and ask whether revenge is the best option to find a peace within themselves. I believe that most of us have wanted to do onto others as they did onto us, but at what point does that become self destructive? Too many variable to make a sweeping statement as "yes" or "no" in this case. And that is why I started the thread. I agree that there are so many variables involved in determining an answer to this question that when asked in a non-specific sense it is unanswerable. However, I did wonder what other people's thoughts were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatus1 Posted September 18, 2011 #14 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I was wondering; what are your thoughts on revenge? In what situations is it okay, and when does it go too far? For example, is it okay to murder someone if you know they are a murderer and will get away with it? If you have been wronged, will vengeance actually help you gain any peace? Revenge, at its root, is simply guilt; it is, however, a rather destructive sort of guilt which will eventually eat away at a person, given time. When people feels they have failed to protect another and the feeling of revenge arises, the person seeking revenge will want to take action in order to relieve the feeling of guilt. Revenge should be taken to the point where the healing process within a person can begin. This tends to be tricky, as many people have a rather black-and-white view of the situation, and tend to be somewhat hard-headed about the subject. The effectiveness of vengeance is not measured by the action itself, but rather by the measure of peace it brings to the person. In the event it is taken too far, the person now has an additional burden of guilt to deal with, on top of the original. Similarly, a person who takes too little revenge will feel a certain anger at themselves for not taking more responsibility (remember that it was a failure of responsibility in the first place that created the feeling of revenge). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingAngel Posted September 18, 2011 #15 Share Posted September 18, 2011 3 terms are very similar but do not mix up : - revenge : to want someone to be in the situation like you're currently suffer, usually based on anger and unbalanced emotion - justice : though it want someone to suffer, but it's what he deserves and it's the right thing to do, emotion based on justice, a clear mind - punishment : very similar to justice, use when the law is not strong enough to punish the guilt; in another word, punish someone in the name of God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatus1 Posted September 18, 2011 #16 Share Posted September 18, 2011 How are you differentiating between the three? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingAngel Posted September 19, 2011 #17 Share Posted September 19, 2011 (edited) How are you differentiating between the three? You can't if you are the one who participate in the revenge/justice/punishment (because emotions will take over you, it's usually someone revenge with a justice excuse). But a 3rd-party person (who stay outside) can. Edited September 19, 2011 by FlyingAngel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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