The double-edged sword of suffering

Revenge represents a primal attempt to redirect the flow of suffering, transforming the passive experience of pain into an active pursuit of retribution. In this psychological alchemy, the helpless cry of "I suffer" metamorphoses into the empowering declaration "you will suffer." This transformation offers a seductive illusion of control, promising to convert victimhood into agency through the act of inflicting pain upon others.

Yet this redirection of suffering creates a devastating paradox. While revenge may momentarily alleviate the burden of helplessness, it initiates a cycle that ultimately consumes both the avenger and their target. The vengeful individual, in their quest to transfer pain, becomes bound to their own suffering in a new way. They exchange one form of bondage for another, as the pursuit of vengeance demands an endless investment of emotional energy and psychological resources.

For some, revenge becomes more than an act—it transforms into an identity, a reason for being that defines their entire existence. These individuals construct their whole world around the axis of retribution, finding purpose in the perpetual pursuit of payback. However, in making vengeance their life's mission, they unknowingly become prisoners of their own hatred, their identity forever tethered to the very source of their original pain.