Is Revenge Justified??

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” This brilliant citation by the revolutionary non-violent freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi, talks about the whole state of affairs of the current world in just 10 words. Following the path of non-violence can sure save the world from killing itself, but can non-violence be justified for the most heinous crimes? Do the victims not deserve their right of getting back? Isn’t it right for a victim to take the law in his/her hands if the law is helpless and wants evidence when the criminal is visible in plain daylight?

Revenge has been an old-fashioned emotion of humans, only the methods have changed- during the World War people committing crimes were beheaded with guillotines and now the recent methods of jailing till death have replaced them. And have we heard about people getting executed due to their crimes in the recent past? The answer to this is an unambiguous no. People committing atrocious crimes like raping women or kidnapping and causing bloodbaths have been known to be killed in the most painless ways or being held captive with provision of the best services due to the newest human rights laws. But do these savage animals warrant “human” rights?

Vengeance has a lot of significance, and not only the local front but also on the global frontier. Many countries feel it necessary to show off their strengths and display that their nation is not a weak one and would not get easily bullied into submission. The reaction of a certain nation to an act of terrorism on a state can also be counted as a show of force in the field of weaponry and defense. The action of Japan on the twin bombings during the World War put their nation away from the torment and inaction. The attack planned and executed on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii took America by surprise and also acted as an act of defiance and non-tolerance by Japan towards the larger nation.

An act of violence which is committed in order to bring the perpetrator of a crime to his end is an act of justice. Be it violent or non-violent, this act should not be punished as it makes the person responsible for his crimes feel the pain and anguish behind his doings. Terrorist attacks in the past decade have not gone scot-free as the larger sovereign nations of the United States and the other NATO nations have firmly put their hand on the criminals and have promised the public to punish them. The killing of Osama bin Laden was a brutal murder by the United States, but the pride felt by the assassin is extreme as the slaying of such a criminal soul is considered justice for all of the hundreds slaughtered in the name of religion.

The rise of unethical religious terrorist groups like the al-Qaeda or the Ku Klux Klan has put the world at a higher danger, but aren’t these mischief-mongers supposed to be wiped of the face of the earth. At some point of time, the general public has to take action against these evil minds. Killing them after they massacre scores of people is one of the best options to cleanse the earth of this scum.

But are we on the right track? Isn’t killing supposed to wipe of the whole human race?

Killing, even in the name of justice is supposed to be a crime. It may give the victim the sense of being given justice for a short period of time. But, in the long term, this feeling scrapes of the soul of the victim. This shows that revenge is a temporary heaven, but a permanent hell. In the act of taking revenge, the collateral damage caused to society may rise to unnatural levels and in the end cause problems to human society. The assassins and Special Forces created by governments to protect their countries and also to defend them create a whole race of psychopaths no different from the sinners they wipe off. But isn’t the obstruction of justice a crime in the statutes of the law? So should we stop justice to the victims by cutting the criminals from their miseries?

Payback is a thing supported by all sides of humanity, and it is the universal belief that a person always gets punished for his sins. Then why shouldn’t man act of his own accord and punish the perpetrators at that point of time rather than waiting for a lifetime to pass by? Revenge against a wrong-doer is always justified in my opinion and it should be taken as soon as the unlawful person is unearthed.