On Revenge

I may have lied in one of my previous posts. I do not remember all the times I've been wronged simply to avoid wronging someone else in a similar manner. I've always dreamt that I would, someday, be in the position to, umm, payback, with interest. Now, sages have always told that no good comes out of revenge - nursing the thoughts of revenge has been compared to 'holding a glowing ember in one's hands, in order to throw it at someone else'. I disagree. It was during my schooldays that I, after much saving, was able to buy my copy of 'the Count of Monte Cristo'. It was not the full version - it was an abridged, children’s version, meant for being read over a day or two, at the pace expected of a child. I devoured the book in four hours. This was on a Diwali night (that's why we had a chance to go to the town), and I had foregone the sweets for the purchase, and I gave away my firecrackers, as I was too much engrossed in the book. It was one of the best Diwali's of my life. For here was a book that gave meaning to the life of some of the most downtrodden people on Earth - The OG 'chicks'. I can never put the book on the stock 'my favourites' lists, simply because I've not read the real book - I tried it recently, but the sheer volume of it deterred me. However, even the abridged version told us an inspiring story of an innocent man, with his innocent ways, made to suffer at the hands of few persons, each having his own reasons for doing so. Ultimately, the man in question gets rich and powerful, and has the three persons at his mercy, before having his revenge. The literary critics may differ, but I felt that the Count really enjoyed the whole process of exacting revenge, and the book celebrated the whole idea of it. No questions of keeping the wounds green or similar wishy washy stuff.

Revenge, in its purest form, is a thing to be enjoyed. As I see it, all the wrongs that you have endured are sort of credits you have on your 'deed account' - like any credit on your account, the creation had to be painful, or in other words, involving reduction in utility. However, the credits gained are not painful. To get the credit in bank account, you have to part with your cash. However, when you look at your bank statement, you see your bank balance, and do not mourn the loss of cash you had to endure to get that balance. Then why do we have to be so distrustful of nursing a revenge motive? Similar to the cash / bank example, when you are wronged, you earn this moral, mental right to exact revenge. This is a credit, and like all credits, it is an asset. To enjoy this asset, you need to savour revenge. It is not so weird an idea. If you have no liking or use for money, all the credit in your bank account is of no use. Similarly, if you do not like the exacting revenge, the credits in your deeds account are of no use to you. So, for an appreciable increase in your 'net worth', develop a taste of revenge, or at least, fantasizing about revenge. Go and get your copy of the abridged 'Count of Monte Cristo' now.

There is a thing about nursing the grievances. It is all right to have a 'deed account', you might say, but the problem is, we are mostly helpless in exacting revenge, as people more ‘powerful’ than us mostly wrong us. We are not in a position to spend the credits we earn when we are wronged - in accounting parlance, we have a surfeit of Non Performing Assets (NPAs) on our deed account. However, the financial world has shown us that with careful planning and lot of perseverance, most NPAs can become productive. Surely you might be too small, too insignificant, and too feeble right now - but then, there is a whole lot of possibility of future growth. The only thing true about the pinnacle is that there is only one way from there, downwards. That s.o.b. boss you hate would retire someday, while you would still be in prime of your working life. Again, there is also the scope for future growth. The schoolyard bullies will, in all probability (considering the general IQ of bullies and the bullied) be working at a much lower level of socio-economic pyramid. There is a probability that you would meet them someday. The only thing required of you is to be prepared to exact your revenge - be more powerful than them in this second coming. To realise your current NPAs, one has to remember to strive hard for excellence, to reach at some station while the boss you hate retires and the bully you hate turns to delivering pizza or vending shoes. Thus, the very act of keeping an eye on your earned deed credit and having a desire to realise it is a big motivator propelling you towards excellence. Remember, Edmond had to strive a lot even after he was given a map to the treasure on Monte Cristo. Had the desire for revenge not been there, he would not have become a Count, and would have remained a mere seafaring smuggler.

So, I hope this piece brings some joy into the life of the people whose life is being made miserable by some other person, wilfully. Always remember, a credit earned by you is a debit raised against the offender. Always remember to exact the revenge from this very debtor, and not from 'his kind'. Remember the way of the Count. Happy accounting.