Two wrongs don't make a right (the (ir)rationality of revenge) - also gun control

Hello, again.Just a random thought, but I would like to discuss revenge. I hear it almost daily, the ubiquitous justification for the old "eye for an eye".
"[Insert name] reneged on a promise".
"Well", says the friend, "do the same as they have done to you".I have friends, friends very dear to me, that utilize this same behavior. I hear from friends others that employ revenge upon them. We see in film the protagonist that is wronged, and devotes their life to fulfilling a vendetta.It's unnerving, until I feel wronged by someone, and experience the same caressing of revenge coaxing my conscience. I'm not perfect, but I rarely act on this urge, if at all.Does anyone else observe this behavior in others? Is anyone else cognizant of these same irrational feelings in themselves? Does anyone have any experiences they wish to share? Thoughts? Comments?Coffee house, please. Edited by Adminnemooseus, : Changed topic title from ""Two wrongs..." to "Two wrongs don't make a right (the (ir)rationality of revenge)"Edited by Adminnemooseus, : Add the "- also gun control" part to the topic title.

Forgive me, but I must leave for work. I will respond to these posts later tonight. Sorry for the delay.

I like to think of justice, or maybe I'm thinking of retribution, as, if and when wronged by another, an appeal to a third party, such as the state, to bring some sort of closure to the problem.Wheras revenge is, when wronged, one seeking to promote closure by whatever means the wronged believes to be sufficient: "Taking the law into their own hands", if you will.

Thanks, anglagard. I enjoy hearing words of wisdom people have acquired throughout their years.

I find that interesting. She becomes "upset", and because she becomes "upset", she desires others to feel her pain. I mean no disrespect to your wife, honestly, but this common response to a wrong, that so many of us have, seems to border on sadism. Why this pervasive urge amongst us to desire others, and for some, to take pleasure in, the experience of suffering?

Right, hence the two wrongs fallacy. That's absolutely horrifying. Agreed. If someone were to kill me, and if one of my brothers or friends were to kill the original murderer, then the victims of my murderer have "justification" for continuing the bloodshed. It's a never-ending cycle, one that eventually eats itself alive. Me, too. But what I find most fascinating is that, even though we know this reasoning to be fallacious, and quash it's rise in our thoughts before it reaches action....we still feel an initial urge the next time we are wronged...

You're too kind... I agree, I retract my earlier post.

Yes, I agree to that, as mentioned previously. To an extent, yes, and thus, my dilemma about this issue. Agreed. One of my friends felt this way not too long ago. Quick story, but I was with friends, grilling and drinking. Someone grabbed my friend's hat, and threw it in the pool. In trying to avoid much of a confrontation, I said very little about the issue, just mumbled a few terse words of discouragement to the offender, and mostly just watched the situation unfold before me. My friend, the victim, quickly and quietly left, and for several weeks held a grudge against me, one that I see still emerging from time to time, about my lack of caring about him.He saw me, and continues to see me, as you mentioned, as a "prick because of my relative lack of such feelings".Oh, and welcome to EVC, AW.