Revenge and Love

I think these two things are the most dangerous things in the world of the human mind. I know I've wrote before of my pleasure in watching revenge movies, and then a few posts later, of my sucker-ness for romantic ideals. Both are passionate, soul-consuming, and in the truly intense cases, everlasting. Think about it. It's like the more common thought path of "there's a fine line between love and hate." This is my personal spin-off, then, if you'd like to think of it that way.

But I don't think revenge is the same as hate. Hate in my muddled mind is twisted on its own accord, warped by actions that were chosen. Revenge is an emotion twisted by other's actions, it poisons the soul of a person who is at first unwilling to drink down the bitter contents. For a grand example of this to better understand me, watch The Count of Monte Cristo. (Enough said about this movie- it's most certainly up there with Gladiator on my list.) Revenge, as I previously said, is powerful. It has the ability to change a person entirely to an extreme version of the previous man or woman. It compromises priorities, because it will always come first, and also changes morals/ethics previously held strong. Like I said- twisted, but brought upon by outside forces. The key is, it can be a revocable emotion, but only through time and eye opening events gone right.

Now for love. Some stray cat thoughts that may sweep into the front of your brain may be warm, strong, right, genuine, wanted, romance. And I can't say I don't think those things as well. It's what people want, to be loved. Everyone. Yet others would think hurt, chains, tainted, strain, loss, grief. Because it's both things at once, in a way. This is the reason that this love-at-first-sight theory creeps me out. So you're walking down the street and *boom* you now love that man who walked by you. What the heck is that? It's insanity! You don't know who he is, who he may or may not be with, what he likes, doesn't like, if you'd work together, if he'd ever love you back. Love makes slaves out of people. Again, sorry to sound depressed fortune-cookie here, but it's true. Love can change a person- their priorities, morals, stability, reactions. Sound familiar? Like revenge, it also can fade with time, or with eye opening events and revelations.

And I'm not trying to be anti-love or anything, because I know it can go right, but I just thought this was curious. I had been thinking about how scary love truly was and the revenge part came to me while watching, you guessed it- the Count of Monte Cristo this evening. Go figure. Now my point of this is, again, to compare the two passionate, consuming emotions. Maybe this explains why people are drawn to stories of both, like me.