Okay, darling...the following is my opinion, and I thank you for giving me something to focus on after a long day...*cracks knuckles*...
Cinema itself is overlooked as our modern-day source of philosophy. Movies are our way to imagine scenarios of which we cannot fathom in reality, even though many are inspired by reality itself. The revenge stories are absolutely fascinating, but appalling in reality.
Quentin Tarantino, one of my favorite directors, imagines plots that would sicken me if they took place in reality (of course, his next flick is inspired by true events, go figure). His films, of which I'm sure you're aware, are revenge films like Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds. His last one, though, The Hateful Eight, took place in the Civil War times, and featured prominently these themes of vengeance (lots of killing haha).
But one character speaks on the philosophy of justice and vengeance, and it's probably the only thing that really stuck with me from the flick:
He's speaking of "the hangman," the appointed city-worker who executes lawbreakers (not uncommon in Westerns):
Direct quote:
Oswaldo: The man who pulls the lever that breaks your neck will be a dispassionate man. And that dispassion is the very essence of justice. For justice delivered without dispassion is always in danger of not being justice.
So..."passionate justice," we can say...is what vengeance really is, even though that quote uses a triple negative to imply that haha...
I agree with you, my dear, vengeance is personal, and justice is appointed, even though these lines are blurred by common people. So let me present some concepts also blurry to the "small-minded."
There's forgiveness...and mercy. Forgiveness is personal, and mercy is for the benefit of others. To FORGIVE means nothing in the way of the morality of a crime. Forgiving somebody doesn't make the criminal right or wrong, it just brings an internal peace. MERCY is external. It's how we treat others, and it doesn't take forgiveness for granted. You can be merciful and still hold bitterness (a trait of the unforgiving).
The reason I bring up these concepts...is because justice is hard to come by. Yet, passion is not. So passion really needs to be redirected. Killing a person because of the death of someone else isn't exactly justice...it's balance. BUT...murdering a person who murdered someone close to us does not ultimately bring balance to the vengeful. Our loved ones have still been taken from us...and our revenge did nothing to change this.
So...my opinion is that justice brings balance to the otherwise unaffected others...while vengeance does so only in concept. The best we can do is also personal : seek acceptance. This is where passion thrives, actually. We cannot change the past, but we can protect ourselves (and the loved ones we are lucky enough to be with) in the future.
Preventing further injustice is all "justice" can be.
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