When we witness the suffering of those we don't know or those whom we may know but have no animosity towards, we don't feel as giddy but we may get somewhat of an "I'm glad it isn't me" feeling and/or feel a bit of sympathy.
However when it's someone we know and that "someone" has slighted us in some unforgivable way (or even someone who has done nothing directly to us but we just don't like them), there's a special kind of elation in witnessing their suffering. The people we deem "enemies" evoke our right-brain creativity as we dream, in living color, of ways to get them back. They evoke our Shakespearian tendencies as we stand in the shower writing and re-writing, playing and re-playing all the clever comebacks and stabbing insults we should have and will tell them. They awaken our inner-Scorsese as we plot and plan ways to make their demise worthy of the silver screen.
When those who have transgressed against us are finally punished (whether by our hand or another's) we're giddy, gleeful, joyous and tingly all over. Witnessing their hurt and pain (well deserved of course) just feels...So...Damned...Good.
If you're reading this post you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I recently watched a documentary called "Waiting for Armageddon" where what I'm saying here is clearly evident. This is a documentary where people who identify as Christian, speak of the book of Revelation and the ultimate war between good and evil. I was glued to the television as individuals spoke of how much "fun" it would be to watch as Jesus and his army warred with and systematically slaughtered unrepentant humans "until the blood ran as high as a horse's bridle".
And it doesn't stop there. The people in the documentary spoke of how they would then stand and watch as each individual soul was judged and sent to live the remainder of eternity in the fiery pits of an agonizing and tormenting Hell where the maggots that eat their putrid, rotting flesh never die and the unbearable fire that burns and rages inside and outside their dark, evil, unrepentant bodies will never be quenched.
This is exciting stuff, believe me. I know exactly what they were talking about and feeling, as I too was waiting for Armageddon.
I was one of those individuals, salivating for the day when I would be rewarded and enemies of God (who were, of course, my enemies as well...and vice versa) would be horribly and rightly punished by Him and his army of Angels; while I sat innocently by forgiven of all wrongdoing and waiting to be heavily and heavenly rewarded for my choice to side with the right belief system.
I saw this message in a meme posted on Facebook:
Karma--No need for revenge. Just sit back & wait. Those who hurt you will eventually screw up themselves and if you're lucky, God will let you watch.
This received several hundred thousand "likes"...of course. Think of a person who has egregiously wronged you. Now imagine them getting their comeuppance. Imagine them suffering just as much, or even more than they made you suffer. Really imagine it. Don't hold back. See them getting what they deserve. Doesn't that feel good? Isn't there a release of tension, a feeling of relief and a heightened level of satisfaction and "rightness" with the world again?
Once they get what's coming to them everything is back in alignment and flows without obstruction just as it should. What's up with that? Why is the world right again, our minds calm again, our eyes sparkly again, and our cheeks rosy again when our enemy is punished?
Why the joy, happiness, glee, and sense of calm when our enemies finally get what's coming to them?
It's because we all must get what we deserve. There's no way around this. Your actions bear consequences. It's simple cause and effect. Tension is released and everything is made right in the face of others' pain because you are getting what you believe you deserve.
Did you get that? I said when you see others suffer and die YOU feel YOU are getting what YOU deserve. In other words, you see yourself in that person bearing that same punishment and death.
Stay with me...this is gonna get deep.
So what have you done to deserve punishment and death?
You made a world composed of mental concepts, labels, separate emotions and a whole slew of other separate things. You destroyed "Reality". You defiled eternity and you deserve to be punished in the worst way forever and ever. You even tell the story of how you did it in the book of Genesis (and other religious texts).
I wrote a story in my book Tales from Eternity, titled The Sinner in the Garden of Eden Was Not Adam, Eve or the Devil--It Was God, where I suggest the "original sin" has nothing to do eating an apple or disobeying God, the original sin was committed when God divided the heavens from the Earth. The original sin was Creation. Creation is God's image of himself. An image is a lie. An image is not the real thing. An image is not the truth. An image has no life of its own and is, therefore, temporary.
The evidence points to one sin and one sinner. You.
How do you like that apple?
I told you it was gonna get deep.
On one hand, you want to be innocent of this crime, but on the other hand, you believe you deserve to be punished. It's self-harm taking place vicariously through this "enemy" that you've made.
When young girls, and others, deliberately cut or burn themselves to feel better this is called self-injury. Self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with buried emotional pain, intense anger, frustration, and other seemingly unbearable emotions and memories.
While it does bring a momentary sense of calm, release of tension and "rightness" with the world, this is followed by guilt, shame and the return of painful emotions...thus they must cut or burn themselves again.
When you feel right, good and gleeful at the idea of punishing your enemies, you are like a teenage girl sitting on a cold, hard bathroom floor with tears rolling down your mascara-smudged eyes as you, with a brand new shiny razor blade choose the best area on your arms and thigh to begin cutting. Then with great precision and practiced acuity, you slice and slice and slice attempting to cope by punishing yourself for what you have not done.
You never punish your enemy. You have no enemy. You never witness your enemy's suffering, or feel glee at their demise. You are the "enemy" and the only one who suffers. There's only you, with a mistaken belief that you have separated yourself within the Whole.
The Christians in Waiting for Armageddon are happy that they are getting what they deserve. They are fully invested in the story...as are we all.
All we have to do is look to see that this has not happened. We have not done anything. Self-harm is not necessary. We can just look at the guilt and shame as it arises and see that there is no reason for it.
Be joyous, gleeful and content without needing to suffer. It is possible.
It's possible to see what I'm suggesting here and still live, have opinions, make choices, be angry and have "enemies"...but there's a difference. You're not invested in it. When you see things the way they are, enemies are no longer necessary.
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