Why is revenge bad?

Because where would it end?

"An eye for an eye would make the whole world blind." Mahatmas Gandhi

And more wisdom on why it is "bad"...

"You cannot get ahead while you are getting even." Dick Armey

"A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well." Francis Bacon

And two that I can't attribute to a specific person:

"Revenge, like bitterness, only corrodes the vessel it is carried in"

"Bitterness (revenge?) is like a poison you make for your enemy but you drink instead."


[edit on 31/5/2009 by kosmicjack]

Because pain can never be returned in the exact measure it was dealt.

So there's an imbalance. How is balance restored? When the target/victim says so?

People live with past injury everyday. Who's to say one type of loss is greater than another? If it causes pain and grief, how is one person's grief more profound than another's?

There are people who wouldn't hesitate to inflict the dealth penalty for what others would consider minor crimes or no crime.

Just the desire for revenge doesn't mean they're justified in having that wish; a lot of people who've committed crimes feel they've been unjustly wronged.

If people are given the chance for revenge, though, it's in proportion to how deeply wronged they felt, rather than the actual objective fact of the injury.




You can kill a murderer for murdering, but when they're a corpse, so what?




To retaliate is to respond quickly in like manner to a perceived(or real) injury or attack.

How about when someone wishes someone else would suffer pain or injury or loss, but the person wishing not being in a position to inflict said injury or pain or loss themselves?

What effect does that have? In spiritual terms at least, or their input in to the collective mind?

Having said that, yes, surprisingly, death may come at the hand of the vengeance seeker, on occasions, who can tell?

Revenge is bad. It is feeding your ego, ego loves negativity, poor me, how could someone do this to me? You answer the ego "i know what can we do about this? something must be done!". Feeding the ego, me,me me.
Revenge is ego bound, within thought. Ego is in later, and before, but not in the now. Ego is all about me being different and is destructive. Now is compassion and love and understanding. When we move away from this beingness we move into doingness - what i am going to do to you.

Revenge is a blot on the soul.

Originally posted by kosmicjack
"An eye for an eye would make the whole world blind." Mahatmas Gandhi

DEEP.

"You cannot get ahead while you are getting even." Dick Armey

"A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well." Francis Bacon

Some folks can't move ahead or heal until there is closure and until they burn up their (well founded) hate. At the same time - you can't move ahead if you are always looking back.

Excellent input Kosmicjack.
It's well worth listening to the wise sages of the ages.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
Revenge is ego bound,

Interesting. You say revenge feeds the ego. Big egos kill the spirit. Perhaps thats why it's in the bible that God says 'Revenge is Mine sayith the Lord' .. since our egos and spirits can't handle the burden of revenge?

Hmm... that's deep as well.
I've gotta think about this ...

edited to add -

Originally posted by kettlebellysmith
Revenge is a blot on the soul.

How?



[edit on 5/31/2009 by FlyersFan]

revenge is i think not worth it unless you offer it up via the lords decision. Meaning instead of an action, by you. Rather choose articulate words.

For instance when God sent moses to pharoah. And Moses said that "God commands let my people go" was an example that he was not trying to assassinate the pharoah, merely put him in his place in the world. And God exampled himself as the bigger fish.

That to me is both justice and revenge. in realtime.

Ego is wanting more to make me more. This is why you have to choose, spirit or ego, they do not live in the same house (diamention).
Now, love, compassion is complete. Holy.

[edit on 31-5-2009 by Itisnowagain]

You know, with basically everybody believing in revenge, I'm starting to believe there are no "good", "righteous" or "innocent" people anyway.

reply to post by Donnie Darko


Human constructs. But innocence does exist after a form. It's all a point of view in the end and points of view are subjective.

I thought of an example where I reckon it would be near impossible not to get some revenge. It is not a pleasant scenario, but perhaps it will highlight your true, deeper feelings toward revenge:

If you have found irrefutable evidence that somebody raped your mother or sister, how would you respond?

(I pose this just for arguments sake and do not wish to hurt or offend anyone.)

It is a tough question because the level of rage you would feel would be near unattainable and would cloud your judgement to act rationally.

Myself personally, I would definitely have homicidal tendencies toward this person.


[edit on 31/5/2009 by Dark Ghost]

The feeling of having gotten even is not universally "bad". Last year the other soccer team beat us bad...humiliated us. This year we got back at them and to their total surprise beat them 8:0. That felt fun.

reply to post by Dark Ghost


We've had a case here in Holland a couple of years ago were a small girl was taken, raped, killed and left for garbage.....
The father of this little girl went to the prison the man was being held at and asked for a one-on-one with the murderer of his daughter.
He sat in the room with this man and the only thing he said was:" i forgive you..."

How powerfull of a statement is that!!!

This man, being in jail for some time, has to go to bed every night knowing he did what he did and yet somebody cares enough to forgive him, no less the father of his victim......

Now that's what i call revence.......

Peace

Peace

Originally posted by kosmicjack
"Revenge, like bitterness, only corrodes the vessel it is carried in"

"Bitterness (revenge?) is like a poison you make for your enemy but you drink instead."

Society is full of it. Every person gets into power just to kill or destroy anyone they can.

the police weed out all the good people so that they are just left with serial killers.

i wonder how many here have committed acts of revenge, lol. Whats the point in speaking out against something some of you love.

[edit on 5/31/2009 by andy1033]

i think Gandhi put it the best when he said

"an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind"

reply to post by FlyersFan

You asked :
Why is revenge bad?

Based on one's 'world view' the matter can become quite simple.

If one sees the world as a 'unity' somehow 'experiencing itself' then any kind of negativity, at any level ( body, speech or mind ) is 'bad' because we only hurt ourselves.

It's really easy. Not only Ghandi's remark about leaving the whole world 'blind,' but also it's just only 'fighting fire with fire.'

Won't ever, ever work, nohow !

The 'buck' has to stop someplace. That's why it has often been said ( although, admittedly, not too much here in the west ), "The real war is on the inside !"

Since a preponderance of individuals no longer know this anymore, we have an external environment now filled with war, etc, etc ...

Originally posted by Watcher-In-The-Shadows
I do not look at the death penality as revenge.

I don't approve of the death penalty except in extreme cases where it must be done for self defense reasons - like the perp is too dangerous for the guards and inmates. That kind of thing.

The death penalty, IMHO, is both justice and revenge.

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with that??

Originally posted by operation mindcrime
i forgive you..."

Originally posted by visible_villain
is 'bad' because we only hurt ourselves.

Revenge hurts us spiritually?
Forgiveness is the greater spiritual element to a bad situation.

Perhaps the evil perp'd against us could be viewed as an opportunity
to raise ourselves spiritually by practicing forgiveness instead of revenge?

Revenge is carnal. Forgiveness (the opposite of revenge) is spiritual?

So the choice is spiritual v physical.

Is one road more right than another?

In my case I answer, yes, spiritual is better.
But that's based upon my beliefs.

Is taking the physical 'revenge' road wrong?
It may not be the higher road.
But is it wrong?

I´d like to repeat my protest against universally labeling all type of revenge as "bad". I agree that its unsound and detrimental in most cases...but if it is never allowed or someday even outlawed by new heights of PCness we will turn into a society of pansies.

reply to post by FlyersFan

You asked :
Revenge hurts us spiritually?

Again, it's a matter of perspective.

For those who are firmly fixed in the 'materialist view,' intangibles like karma are rejected out of hand as childish fantasy.

On the other hand, those who hold a wider view have the opportunity to realize that 'negativity' hurts us karmicly. For these individuals there's nothing 'mysterious' going on at all - it's just a 'technicality', a matter of 'physics' in the same sense as Newton's 3rd law ...

Originally posted by Amagnon
Revenge is in fact a very high moral ideal, that it has been slandered and that this question could even be debated is repulsive.

Couldn't have said it any better. Star for you! When the authority does little to nothing to teach scum of their wrong doings, it's up to the individual.

I've had to tell off several people in my life. When I was younger & naive, I wouldn't have thought the right. Now I know better.

My last act of revenge involved confrontation, harsh language, and a big lugie in their face. One can only take being used, lied to, & stolen from so many times before it becomes obvious the other person sees you as an object for manipulation, and doesn't care for you in the slightest.