Not every tragedy is somebody’s fault.
Accidents happen, lives are ruined, people die. . . .so it must be somebody’s fault.
OK, often it is. Sometimes it isn’t.
Bitterness is a nasty taste to live with, and it’s sad when unhappy people feel they must find someone to blame:
– when a scapegoat must be found for the interruption of their life, the loss of their dreams, the death of their loved one. . .
– when someone must be called to account before the grieving can find “closure”.
Let me emphasise, I’m not talking here about crime or criminal negligence, or about due justice – one of civilisation’s necessary foundations. ..I’m talking about revenge.
Revenge is ugly, whatever name you give it. ..It narrows thinking. ..It warps reason.
“Somebody” shouldn’t have swatted the butterfly whose wings triggered a tornado (with apologies to Edward Lorenz).
“Somebody” should have realised that posting a photo of over-ordered toilet roll would trigger panic buying. ..(Really?)
“Somebody” should have had foresight to pull down the blind before the bird flew into the window and shattered the glass that speared the dog that bit the cat that scratched the baby that festered and festered and festered inside. . .
There must be somebody I can blame. ..Someone I can persecute.
One day it might be you. . .
– your roof tile that falls on a passer-by; your indigestion that infects the party with norovirus; your stroke that strikes while you’re driving;
you, who doesn’t know about that child’s allergy and leaves peanuts lying around; .you, who has to make a decision in the absence of information.
I don’t know what to expect when I die, but I am fairly confident that I will be past caring who gets blamed, punished, or prosecuted as a result.
If I am looking down (which I doubt) I will be more concerned to see that those I love are picking themselves up and moving on with their lives.
Sometimes shit happens.
It’s too easy to judge situations from a distance, with few facts and the benefit of hindsight. .And no comeback when you get it wrong.
Please try not to.
Rant Over.
Writing Wrinkles, and Random Ramblings 
You sound like me!!
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I’m glad I’m not the only one out there who thinks so… 🙂
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I love this……so like me!!
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Glad it’s not just me then. It must be awful living a life whose one goal is to get even. What do you have left when revenge is served?
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Some times revenge IS sweet.
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I think it needs to be swift to make a point. I’m saddened more by those who seem to cling on to their bitterness – to the extent that they must wonder what else to do with their lives when they finally get their revenge.
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Revenge is a very temporary bandaid on pain. But sometimes pain exceeds a person’s capacity to hold it and it explodes out as blame. I don’t condone revenge at all, but I understand it sometimes.
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I understand that anger is part of the grief cycle – and anger needs someone or simething to direct it at. It is people who cling on to it and let it overshadow their lives that I find sad. I’m not even advocating the difficult Christian goal of forgiveness; just letting go of all that bitterness must surely be a release for the hater?
(Actually, the least forgiving person I ever knew was a Jehovah’s Witness, but that’s another story.)
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Often the least forgiving people seem to demand it from others.
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