I think if the wonderer was purely logical, then he would of never volunteered to be humiliated for the boy or even runaway from his royal life to become a wonderer. — TheHedoMinimalist

This is true

Just saying that even immediate impulsive reactions that don't quite fit the traditional idea of revenge might be there to achieve catharsis and move on. — Coben

That makes sense. I guess I never thought of it that way.

It’s finding excuses for revenge when you know it’s probably not the best move. — Brett

I think you're probably right about that one. Thank you for the clarification.

You should consider this as just a way to justify your actions. — Brett

What do you mean?

Wow. This may have been my favorite response in this whole thread. No offense to any other users, I appreciate all of the input. But this response really resonated with me.

I really like what you said about much of the bite coming from fears and judgments that it will never be okay. I don't think I've thought about it quite in that way.

Also I must say you have a very nice way of speaking, or typing rather, that helps convey what you are saying.

Thanks

Instead of getting revenge on someone myself, the other option would be to go to the police. But the problem is, there's no proof or evidence that the act ever happened.

No, I don’t mean that. I’m just addressing issues of revenge and situations where it may have had good reason to be enacted. — Brett

Ah, I see. Do you think it's worth contacting the police even if it is unlikely that the problem will be solved?

If he had not been executed as an act of revenge, then very possibly he would have returned again to plot against King Edward. His murder, as opposed to imprisonment, made this impossible. — Brett

So putting this into simpler terms, you say that, for example, a thief who has stolen in the past, will steal again if not punished for his actions?

Fair enough, which do you respect more? — TheHedoMinimalist

I wish I could say I respect the emotions. I really really wish I could say that. But my logical side is making it really difficult to. I believe I am a more emotional person in general, but consequences can't be ignored. I have to be smart about my decisions, especially in such a pivotal point in my life.

Does this mean that it’s sometimes possible to maintain your dignity while refusing to take revenge? — TheHedoMinimalist

Maybe it's possible to maintain a logical dignity, but not an emotional one. Same as if one would carry out their revenge, they would keep their emotional dignity and lose their logical one.

So I suppose one must decide whether to respect their intelligence and decision making, or respect their human emotions.

Is it psychologically possible for someone like the wanderer in the story to exist in real life? — TheHedoMinimalist

Yes I believe it is possible. But I can't help but think that the wanderer gains a sense of self respect from his life of compassion.

The initial question of this thread is not "how can someone get revenge and get away with it?" the question was "Is revenge a hopeless path to follow, and if so, what will become of someone who is unable to carry out the act?"

I am not asking for advice, or for you to find a solution for me. The question was meant to be thought provoking. I never stated that I myself am in a situation where I need to make the decision to carry out revenge or not.

This is a shift that logic and reason can't bridge. — god must be atheist

In that case, maybe logic and reason is sometimes looked too highly upon. I feel at times that individual emotions are discarded, due to an obsession with logic and reason. All though I see the importance of logic, it is almost dehumanizing to take such a simple emotion like frustration, and try to solve it with logic.

You see, the private person who carries out revenge does not always reliably know who the guilty party is. — god must be atheist

I understand your point about the risks of letting people run free and make others suffer for crimes they possibly didn't commit, but what if the private person who carries out revenge DOES reliably know who the guilty party is? And in this scenario, there is almost no chance that police or law interference is going to take place. What happens? As a human being are we supposed to just let this one slide under the rug? There must be something that can be done. Or maybe it's just one of life's cruel realities.

Could such a person exist and yet be happy? — TheHedoMinimalist

I believe the only way this person who has lost all respect for himself can be happy is by means of materialistic pleasures and other outside influences like that. This person cannot produce anything that they are proud of, which allows them to only feel temporary happiness from outside influences. I think long term happiness comes from self respect and pride.

If you can't feel comfortable in your own skin, then you've got no place else to go. I think dignity is something that people need in order to get by on a day to day basis. For example, if I don't respect myself and I have no pride in anything I do, I feel that my quality of life would decrease drastically.

Well I guess dignity and self respect are the same thing. But my statement still stands nonetheless. Dignity can lead to a happy life.

Dignity leads to self respect, which can lead to a happy life.

it’s not clear to me how taking revenge could fulfill any important end goal in life — TheHedoMinimalist

Revenge could fulfill an import end goal in life by giving you the peace of mind that you stood up for what you care about. Is this not an important accomplishment? Could this not give you wisdom?

While justice is a form of revenge, most of the time the average person isn't at liberty to carry out justice as they please. It still leaves you waiting and hoping for justice to be served. Are people just supposed to sit by and hope that one day justice will be carried out? That leads to such an unpleasant way of living.

You don't think it's possible that thoughts of revenge could be human nature inviting you to un-civilize yourself? Instead of re-civilizing?