Vengeance

Why is vengeance always considered such a bad thing?  Vengeance is a natural reaction to a bad situation, and it's something that is completely natural.  I'm sorry if this seems a bit overboard in comparison, but a homosexual person isn't wrong for being attracted to the same sex, it's just natural!  So why is it wrong to feel compelled to give another person what they deserve?  Of course vengeance can go too far, and a person's obsession with it could cause him or her to become severely psychologically disassociated with reality, causing a mental breakdown which could lead to effects of psychosis or other fun stuff (well, rarely, I guess).

Regardless, I feel as though vengeance is a good thing.  Yes, it's good to forgive and forget; don't get all worked up over someone saying a rude comment to you, just let that go.  Why give a damn about it if the hurt will just dissipate within a few minutes?*  Such a lust for vengeance isn't worth it, in this situation.  It's unfounded, obsessive, and all-around idiotic.  Just because someone said you were ugly or have bad breath or some other such insult doesn't mean you need to dump pig blood on them, causing them to go all telekinetic on your ass.  I'm looking at you, Carrie.**

But if the person truly hurt you?  What if they harmed you in some irreparable way?  Is it justified then?  The line, at this point, begins to be blurred.  What is right and what is wrong is, in some way, fallible.  Is there such a thing as a moral and ethical choice in vengeance?  I don't believe so.  Vengeance is not about right or wrong, it is about justice.  Just doesn't cater to right or wrong, it caters only to what is justified.  Vengeance, in this respect, is indeed justified.  What happens because of vengeance is where the negative portrayal of it in the media is founded.  The ramifications, physically and emotionally, could be vast.

Vengeance, however, is not a toy to play around with, it is an aspect of one's life that is completely separate from the rest.  Its origins are burrowed deep within the recesses of your mind, mimicking and following your patterns as if it is your puppet.  These memories fuel vengeance, but they are not vengeance.  Vengeance is an aspect of lust; a type of lecherous want that caters to all emotions--sadness, anger, happiness, etc.  Vengeance, then, could be seen as a psychological drug that is used as a way of getting an ultimate high; so many emotions bursting forth through one act, one pursuit, one quest, these are what define vengeance, and what ultimately define its conclusion.

Take the Asian film, Oldboy, for example.


Before I continue, this will contain key plot points in this film, so if for some reason you want to see this incredible film (and I highly suggest you do), then skip over this section.

In the film, Oh Dae-Su, a father and husband, is imprisoned in a room for 15 years with no explanation or means of escape.  Finally, he is inexplicably released.  Upon his release, he vows to find the man who committed this crime and exact his revenge.

Is this vengeance unfounded?  No, of course not.  Indeed, it is more than understandable; after being locked in a room for 15 years, I'd want to maul the person that did it to death, too!  But let's read on...

After he is released back into the world, he meets a woman by the name of Mi-Do.  She invites him into her house and the two go on a quest to find the man, whose name is Woo-Jin.  Upon finally finding and confronting him, however, Oh Dae-Su decides not to kill him in order to find out why he was imprisoned.

This is understandable as well.  No matter how much we are under the influence of vengeance, that quest for knowledge and insatiable appetite for truth will always gnaw at the back of our minds.

Oh Dae-Su figures it out, though he loses an old friend in the process.  He was imprisoned because he inadvertently spread a rumor in high school that Woo-Jin committed incest with his sister, which was in this case actually true.  Due to this rumor, his sister ended up committing suicide.

Well that sucks, doesn't it?  Oh Dae-Su didn't actually mean to spread such a rumor, regardless of its truth, and his sister's suicide was purely coincidental.  At least the motive is finally discovered!  Well, let's continue...

After this revelation, Oh Dae-Su and Mi-Do confess their love for each other and have sex.  Oh Dae-Su confronts Woo-Jin, and this is where things get interesting...  This is where the greatest twist in film history is revealed.  Oh Dae-Su's daughter was secretly raised by Woo-Jin during this 15-year period of imprisonment.  Both Oh Dae-Su and his daughter, who is actually Mi-Do were hypnotized into following a series of commands that would end up with them falling in love with each other.  In the end, Woo-Jin forced an unknowing Oh Dae-Su and his daughter into committing incest together.

Worse comes to worse, Oh Dae-Su ends up being the one begging for forgiveness, with a laughing Woo-Jin watching in amusement.  He cuts off his tongue as a sign of silence, and Woo-Jin agrees to not tell Mi-Do the truth.  Here's the kicker, though: Oh Dae-Su has his memory erased of all the events surrounding the past 15 years of his life, and then reunites with Mi-Do in a passionate, loving embrace.

The end.

So what could we learn from this film?  Not that vengeance is wrong, but that vengeance can have unknown consequences, and that one should exercise caution when commencing such a trek.  It also teaches us to check our girl/boyfriend's birth certificate before you decide to go any further than a hug...