Revenge: an eye for an eye and the world will end up blind

Revenge is like fire, it burns everything it touches. Extinguishing it with compassion is the first step so that something new can rise from the ashes.

Gandhi said that “an eye for an eye and the world will end up blind.” With non-violence as a maxim, this phrase seeks ears willing to listen to it and understand its message. His warning about revenge is simple to understand but difficult to apply.

People feel the desire to take revenge when they have hurt us deeply.. When someone we love and appreciate hurts us, it can leave an emotional scar that burns with intense heat, asking to be extinguished, causing another wound in the heart of the aggressor.

Faced with a deep emotional wound, we may feel the need to cause the other person similar or greater damage than what was done to us in the beginning.

What is the origin of the expression “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”?

Although the origin of this expression is not entirely clear, it can be found with a different structure but the same meaning in both the Bible and the Code of Hammurabi. In both texts The meaning given to the phrase is the same that transcends to this day, that is, that offenses and damages must be paid proportionally.

The phrase is also known as the Law of Talion, which means “the identical” or “the similar” and also refers to the need for proportionality between offenses and punishments for justice to be done.

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Nevertheless, Does paying with the same coin really guarantee justice? Or do we simply feed with this a tireless spiral of revenge?

Immediate satisfaction, permanent consequences

Revenge is a failed attempt to balance the scales Well, no matter how many adjustments are made, it will always remain unbalanced. The injured person will feel inferior and below the person who has caused the damage, which is why they will try to hurt the other to regain their initial position of balance or achieve superiority.

The first emotion that usually appears when we take revenge is satisfaction. and the feeling that everything has regained its balance. However, this feeling quickly fades to give way to feelings of guilt and remorse. It may also seem like a feeling of emptiness, like when we finish a big project, if the time and resources we have dedicated to planning and executing said revenge have been many.

In cases where there is no remorse after revenge, the scales cannot be completely balanced either. The consequences of revenge linger and its effects can be reflected in future times, where the desire to do harm has disappeared and sadness for the damage caused appears.

It is impossible to predict the future and know who we will need by our side. Maybe that person whom you want to hurt today will be important in your life again tomorrow. Remember that feelings of revenge disappear, but the wound you cause motivated by this feeling can be deep or permanent.

Neverland’s Revenge

When one person opens the first page of the book of revenge and the other continues his story, it is difficult for the story not to continue in crescendo until reaching the peak of the book. The intensity of the actions of one character or another usually increase as the chapters of the story progress.

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Revenge resides in Neverland, where it remains young, there are no rules, no responsibility.

When a problem arises between two or more people there are several alternatives: flee, attack or solve it. In the case of revenge, the chosen alternative is to attack. If the two people decide to use that same strategy, there will be an escalation of conflict that will increase until one of the parties decides that too much has already been lost in that fight.

The world lacks compassion and plenty of honor

In the culture of honor, where the important thing is not the damage caused but the honor repaired, relationships are set on fire by burning people. Fueling revenge with attacks will only fan the flame of hatred. Ending the fire is just the first step that will allow something new to emerge from the ashes..

There is no justice in revenge, nor reparation in attack.

Responding to pain with more pain will not change the situation, nor will it make you feel better.. Most of the time, being brave does not mean responding stronger than the other, but rather putting yourself in the place of the person who hurt you and deciding that you do not want anyone else to relive that pain.