User blog comment:Fliu/Chapter 971: And the Flashback Goes On/@comment-3529684-20200217053028/@comment-108.83.222.210-20200218071232

Clever analogy. The one I have heard of most was that revenge was like drinking poison and waiting for the enemy to die. I agree, there are more productive ways to channel that desire. Justice and revenge are considered different because of the motivation behind them even if the end result is the same. If the person is brought to justice then they will face the consequences of their actions in a manner that can effectively free their victims from the influence of that individual, break their power so to speak and prove that people do not need to be afraid of that individual any longer. Not to mention the fact that justice is generally considered morally correct due to being based on the rule of law and morality while vengeance is to a degree for the satisfaction of the individual seeking it. Oddly enough, when one pursues revenge then they allow the person that they are pursuing for revenge a degree of control over them. Likewise, if one seeks revenge then it would be advisable for that person to remember that the world is not divided into people who will help them with revenge (willingly or not) and people who are in the way. The world is a bigger place then that. Usually my advice regarding thoughts of revenge are that a person should think to themselves either that they are seeking the death of the ones who wronged them because they are a threat to the safety of themselves, their family and friends rather then to just make them pay or have the revenge itself be a stepping stone to a larger goal. In the former case they have a reason that is justified because the intention is to avoid a repeat of the same circumstances that begin the search for revenge. It also works with the concept of justice because it ensures that the person cannot hurt others in the same way. In the latter case, the revenge is not an all-consuming obsession and is merely a result of pursuing a larger goal. In one anime I watched, when the antagonist gained his revenge he completely lost all interest in everything else thus the efforts of his closest followers to try and find something for him to focus his efforts on in the future. As you say, revenge can indeed be a slippery slope and one should take care that they do not become a monster in the process of hunting and fighting against monsters. It is a tricky balance, a delicate tightrope that many must walk. These are of course simply my own opinions.