Vengeance, greed, jealousy, fear, lust, pride, laziness… Each and every one of these weaken you, engulf you, and if not quelled, can damage you.
The key is not to resist them, but to become greater in their opposites: Forgiveness, generosity, acceptance, faith, compassion, humility and devotion.
Recently I have been studying the human trait of Vengefulness and the affect this has when it is fostered and fuelled within a person.
We all know the feeling… When someone wrongs us, causes us humiliation, takes from us, speaks rudely to us, belittles or discredits us. We then experience the urge to punish, cause suffering, and make the person regret their actions.
These vengeful thoughts actually stimulate the pleasure centre of the brain where rewards are processed… This is the same part of brain associated with drug and alcohol addiction, causing us to feel that carrying out our urge to punish will feel satisfying and rewarding.
Studies done in many countries indicate that this is actually not the case.
Persons who have suffered and carry out revenge actually feel worse than those that do not. In addition, the avengers also take far longer to move on, tending to dwell on the situation in their minds, and have trouble ‘letting go’. This can potentially cause far reaching effects including damage to other personal relationships.
In order to seek revenge, you have to feel as though you are the ‘victim’ of someone else’s wrongful action. Victim mentality actually cripples our ability to achieve and keeps us focusing on the wrong things. This can make us bitter and twisted.
The bottom line is, the urge to seek vengeance is primal and stems from the reptilian brain associated with survival. This part of the brain has not evolved, while other parts have.
We now possess the ability to choose our responses, modify our emotions at will, and decide what meaning we will give to events. We can choose to focus only on our own betterment rather than the destruction of others.
Rather than allowing yourself to indulge in pleasurable thoughts of revenge, trigger the pleasure of your own success by putting your energy into advancing yourself to achieve your goals.
Small people tear each other down… Big people build themselves up.
Deep breath, let go, move on… Do it for you.
x Naomi