I apologize if any of you do not like that I have posted so much about vengeance over the last week. This topic has taken hold of my thoughts lately. I now realize that we cannot stop people from violently attacking each other unless we eliminate the social acceptance of vengeful violence, by which I mean people causing harm to others purely as revenge or moral punishment and not as a form of defense (e.g. stopping and incarcerating a rapist to protect others in society) or rectification (e.g. making a vandal pay for the costs to repair a window that he broke).
I have discussed vengeance to try to find effective ways to dissuade people from indulging in vengeance. Mainly, I want to know why so many people feel so open to indulging in vengeance, and I want to know how to best dissuade people from it. I now think that many people who commit vengeful acts of violence do it because they feel it makes them stronger and more potent.
Some people defend vengeful violence and many other forms of interpersonal victimization because they mistakenly conflate compassion and weakness. I believe that is why some people defend anger, discompassion, and hatred and the violent attacks caused by those emotions and mind-states.
Nonetheless, I generally see compassion as a sign of strength. Generally, I think anger, discompassion and hatred are symptoms of weakness. I created a thread in the philosophy forums to discuss it: Are anger, discompassion and hatred symptoms of weakness?
Feel free to discuss the topic here or there. Please do post your thoughts.
Perhaps we can convince people to choose compassion over vengeance by teaching them that vengeance is the resort of the weak and that compassion is the more powerful tool of the strong. What do you think?
Also, if you haven’t already, check out the other recent posts about vengeance:
Wise Quotes about Vengeance and Revenge
Vengeance, Payback, Revenge
How do you feel about vengeance?
Wednesday, March 26th 2008 at 5:44 am
I think what is wrong with vengeance is that nothing good comes out of it in the long run. It gives a little bit of release at the time… and then afterwards the pain is still there.
Tuesday, March 25th 2008 at 12:35 pm
All of this being said, what’s actually wrong with vengeance? I see it as a virtue, not a vice.
Sunday, March 23rd 2008 at 7:33 pm
I heartily agree that compassion, respect, love, acceptance are all seen as weaknesses. I believe that these are the most magnificent of strengths though myself.
But that said, I do know that it is easier to be angry. It is easier to feel anger and vengeance than it is to feel those emotions I listed above. I know when I’m in a situation that I am hurting, anger is what I instinctively look for to express, rather than what I know is altogether healthier for me to express… the pain itself. Which I also know is going to lessen the duration and severity of that pain, which anger will just prolongue.
I guess the answer lies in self awareness for the reasons why we fall to anger and vengeance so easily. Not to mention the understanding that compassion, love, acceptance are going to benefit US as much as those we are displaying the feelings towards.