Revenge. Vengeance. Retaliation. Retribution.
It has spawned many TV shows, books, and movies. Most superhero movies come alive because of the villains innate need to avenge them selves. Often, I ask myself if villains/ protagonists / famed kontrabidas ever consider them selves as such. Do they think of themselves as the evil ones or do kontrabidas constantly think they’re the “victim” as an excuse to justify the cruel way they treat people.
Either way, I can’t completely judge the villain because at the end of the day, it’s all about perspective. We’ve been hurt and we have hurt people (intentional or not), but at the end of the day, we don’t think we’re at fault. We somehow think that being betrayed / hurt (whether it truly exists or only exists in our mind) gives us the right to hurt people back.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, so they say.
I know what anger feels like. I know what it feels like to be utterly consumed by the need to give someone a proper payback. Revenge seems so sweet until its deceitful web tangles you up. Strong people know when to walk away and when to shut up. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, I become weak.
It really does help to take a second before reacting. I’ve always been the queen of reacting (over reacting, if you may say so), however, lately well – meaning people have taught me that sometimes all you have to do is to leave the battle to the Lord.
I recall a time when I was a sophomore in college and became one of the very first victims (there goes that word again) of cyberbullying. My entire school knew that I was the target of specific blog post that detailed nothing but lies (I have long patched things up with this blogger, but for the sake of conversation) and yet, I didn’t find the need to prove myself or fight back. Ever since then I have learned to let things slide.
However, there are things that truly cut deep. Things that are done to the people we love the most cut deeper than anything done to us. We want to fight back for those we love. I wanted to fight for the people I love.
Now I understand where Emily Thorne from Revenge is coming from. At any given moment upon betrayal, we wonder if should fight for the people closest to our hearts or simply let it be. Some say, they are not worth the fight or even the words, but sometimes anger clouds you, leaving no room for reason.
However, often these people are not worth it. Hurt people hurt people. Insecure people use words to bring down others. People with issues try the hardest to pull people into their misery. Unhappy people want others unhappy. Miserable people never want anyone to do better than them.
It’s all about perception.
Often these people have everything they could ever need and yet still find the time to ruin others. There’s never peace in their hearts or sweet slumber. They’re constantly looking over their shoulder, completely unsatisfied with how beautiful their life truly is. They get their happiness from other people’s validation, whether in relationships or at work. They constantly try to be someone they’re not, therefore quenching any inner peace they might actually have.
Envy is a ridiculous thing. It’s the illusion that everyone else is getting what we’re supposed to have. Anyone consumed by it is never truly free, and when you think of it that way, it’s completely, utterly sad.
It’s just the way the world works happy / good / unselfish people never intend to ruin others. It’s just not in their nature to do so. So what’s the point of seeking “revenge” in people who are already so miserable? Nothing. So the best thing to do is simply walk away, not because you’re a coward who can’t fight for yourself, but because you are strong enough to know that it’s only broken people who cause misery in others. And that no matter how many lives they torch, ruin, and scandalize they will never be happy, so might as well bless them and let them be.
It’s simply how the world works, and the only way to extinguish darkness is to bring light in.
That’s truly the only way to live. By living like this, you may lose the battle, but you will eventually win the war.
