Revenge is one thing that comes to the minds of many individuals when they are injured. It is the emotion of the desire to revenge against the person who has hurt you. I recall that once I was really injured by a good friend. She betrayed me and embarrassed me when she told others about one of my personal secrets. I wanted to revenge strongly at that time. I wanted to have her experience the same pain that I did. I was able to think about the revenge days later, and I was continually envisioning various means of a reply.
To be honest, I was spending some time planning to embarrass her in front of our friends as she had embarrassed me. I contemplated leaking a little personal information about her or revealing something about her to people. Whenever I thought about it I was both angry and excited. Revenge appeared to make me feel better. My thought was that when I could do her pain, at least to a minor extent, I would be relieved of the pain she had brought me.
Then I began to think about the consequences. I said to myself, will this make me happy in the long run? Will it fix what happened?" I discovered that it will not help to kill her and might cause more problems. I may lose friends who would find me mean or unjust. I recalled that forgiving and being patient is quite essential and particularly in our society where relationships are prioritized. I also considered my family and the way they always advise me to do the right thing and not allow anger to dominate my life.
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Eventually, I chose not to revenge. I never told anybody her secret, and I never did anything to harm her. I instead came to her directly and explained to her how badly she had hurt me with her actions. I told her that I had faith in her, and it would hurt to see that faith shattered. She said sorry and this did not entirely heal the pain but gave some relief. I was proud of myself because I was in control of my anger and I made a decision that would not lead to further harm.
Since then, I know that revenge is not always as gratifying as we think. The original excitement or feeling of justice evaporates and what is left is regret, guilt or even an even greater wound. To forgive does not mean to forget, but it simply allows you to heal without that burden of anger. I learned that I can defend myself and my emotions without injuring other people, and that gave me a feeling of power and calmness.
Self-reflection was another lesson of revenge. I knew why I was so angry and why I needed to hurt somebody. It made me realize that when you cling on to anger, you are actually clinging to a hot rock, it burns you more than the target you want burned. I became more emotionally and spiritually resilient by refusing to take action on revenge. I have become more patient and learnt to cope with challenging emotions in a more healthy manner.
There could be a lot of circumstances in life where we wish to take revenge in school, workplace or even relationships. But one should always think before he or she acts. At times, it is far better to walk away, forgive, or simply settle the matter down instead of injuring another person. Revenge can be sweet but the aftermath can be bitter. I also got to know that peace and self-respect is more important than the momentary pleasure of injuring someone who had injured you.
Finally, revenge is an instinct but not necessarily the correct decision. I felt the need to retaliate but I decided to forgive and solve the issue peacefully. This choice was a valuable experience that taught me some important lessons regarding patience, emotional control, and the importance of forgiveness. I was also stronger and more peaceful since I did not allow anger to control my actions. Revenge can be tempting but the truth is that a lot of the time it causes more pain than good. It is always best to choose wisdom and forgiveness.
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