Revenge Essay

To right a wrong, appeals to most westernized people. The westward movement in the United States depicts harsh times where lawlessness was the norm. Some people felt compelled then to stand up for what was right, as evidenced in the Battle at the OK Corral. Even old shows like Gunsmoke displayed Marshall Dillon the empowered individual to stand up for the law and protect the rights of the townspeople. These examples reflect both revenge and justice all parties involved in a conflict where a wrong needs to be righted. As laws have been established and enforced to provide a sense of order, the need for revenge is no longer justifiable nor soul cleansing because some people thrive on vengeance, some people thrive on old prejudices, and others are hero seekers which does not achieve the desired end result.

It is easy to fall back on quotes from the Bible. According to Michael Price in the Monitor states, in “Exodus 21:23 instructs us to give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot to punish an offender.” For those individuals that thrive on hate, this quote could easily become their mantra. So what motivates revenge seekers? Psychologists such as Ernst Fehr and Simon G’echter state, "Punishing others in this context—what they call 'altruistic punishment'—is a way to keep societies working smoothly," However, these vengeance seekers are seeking power over others. You might argue that society needs these individuals to keep others who seek to stretch the law to the limit in check. But, when these vengeful acts do more damage than good, how can this be justifiable? For instance, when police officers in California beat Rodney King, they felt justified with the law as their shield. This altruis...

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...cording to psychologists cited in the Monitor on Psychology article, “Revenge and the people who seek it.” As the incident in Florida exemplifies, a young man lost his life, a man seeking hero status did not obtain a hero status in society.

So in conclusion, revenge may be justified for some, but rarely does one achieve a feeling pleasure when other negative outcomes are associated with the act. As laws have been established and enforced to provide a sense of order, the need for revenge is no longer justifiable nor soul cleansing because some people thrive on vengeance, some people thrive on old prejudices, and others are hero seekers which does not achieve the desired end result. Following peaceful resolutions as espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. may best serve righting of any wrongs in society and managed by those that can handle the responsibility.