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Had an interesting prompt in class. Take a virtue and argue against it.
I chose forgiveness.
I swear I’m not normal.
Sure, forgiveness is what makes things happy and squishy and peaceful. Peace and understanding, and all that fluffy shit.
But today, I argue that forgiveness is what hinders growth.
How, then, can we channel that raw energy that comes from the hurt of being wronged and scorned? Do we not bleed? Do we not suffer? And where do some of the most beautiful pieces of art, music, literature, poetry come from?
Yes! From the ability to hold on to the hate and anger in your heart and learning how to direct it towards something useful. Something that others will feel and understand. You want to connect with your audience? I guarantee you that each and every one of us have felt like we got fucked over, or pushed aside. Or left for dead.
Fuck forgiveness! It’s not real! and it’s not raw! It’s a catered, suggested action that limits us from accepting and being in tune with a different realm of our emotions, and not feeling or guilty about them!
Forgiveness is not mature. It’s weak and pathetic. It means you can’t handle or acknowledge the great power that comes with holding on to these so-called ‘ill’ emotions. There is nothing ‘ill’ about them!
They’re not maladies!
Are they not born out of extreme love and passion? Would someone who barely scratched the surface even give us pause to grant them forgiveness? Or even that mental space in our head to fuel the rage?
And the patience! Think of the cunning, the intelligence, the sheer grit involved in waiting patiently for years for your plan to unfold.
And when your dastardly plan finally culminates and you execute it with the finest precision and everything goes well, you’re actually helping your victim!
How?
YOU are granting them access to the same level of emotional power! You’re sharing your experience with them, and now they, too, will reach a higher emotional threshold.
And robbing them of that experience…
(which may lead to death)
well, that’s the true crime! So what if someone loses their life? This world has too many proles anyway that adopt this whole positive vibe and only happy thoughts bullshit. They’ll never know what it’s like to really embrace your anger, the thrill of finally seeking look on their face when you’ve showed them the fruits of your rage!
In conclusion, forgiveness is bullshit. Holding on to your anger and plotting revenge can:
- Make you a more holistic planner
- Develop your drive and grit
- Reach a deeper level of emotion
- Help you perform your very best
- Yield beautiful pieces of art
- Clear up your sinuses
- Develop your vocal chords
- Help you get shit done
- Live life with a higher threshold of pain
- Add more years to your life
- Develop your patience
- Make you feel alive
- Toughens you and makes you unstoppable
Soul on Fire 
One reply on “The Case for Revenge”
I liked your post, you argued your point well and I understand this is just a class excercise But what if by holding on to that anger you only attract more anger and waste your energy? How about you forgive but you don’t forget, you learn from it which I think is so much harder than acting on revenge…. BUT I guess this entire thing is subjective, it’s almost like a spectrum where there are simply some things in life that are purely unforgiveable, it just matters where it falls within that range. P.S I agree some of the best works come for the rawest emotions, though it doesn’t always have to be negative