Revenge and retaliation always perpetuate the cycle of anger

The evening air was cool, the sky fading into soft hues of pink and orange as the sun dipped below the horizon. The soft hum of the city was distant, barely audible as Jack and Jeeny walked along the quiet path in the small park, the leaves underfoot crunching with each step. Jeeny walked a little ahead, her movements calm, almost meditative, while Jack walked with a slight hunched posture, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. There was a tension in the way he moved, as if the world had been too much to carry for too long.

Host: The world around them seemed to breathe with the rhythm of their steps, the occasional rustle of the wind in the trees punctuating the silence. Jack was lost in thought, the weight of the day pressing down on him, and Jeeny, aware of the unspoken thoughts swirling around him, knew this was the moment to bring up the conversation they had been avoiding for so long.

Jeeny: “I was thinking about what Coretta Scott King said: ‘Revenge and retaliation always perpetuate the cycle of anger, fear, and violence.’ Do you think that’s true, Jack? Do you think revenge just keeps the cycle going?”

Jack: He paused for a moment, his eyes focused on the path ahead of them. “It’s easy to say that, isn’t it? That revenge just keeps the cycle going. But when you’ve been wronged, when you’ve been hurt over and over again, doesn’t it feel like the only thing you can do is fight back? Doesn’t it feel like revenge is the only way to make things right?”

Jeeny: She turned slightly to face him, her expression steady but kind. “I get it, Jack. I really do. Revenge can feel like the only way to make people pay for what they’ve done. But when we choose that path, it’s like we’re feeding the same anger, the same fear, the same hatred that we’re trying to fight against. We become part of the cycle instead of breaking free from it.”

Jack: He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “But how do you stop it when it feels like the world is stacked against you? Every time I try to get out, every time I try to move on, something drags me back into that place of anger. It’s not as simple as just letting go.”

Jeeny: Her voice was calm but filled with strength, a quiet resilience that seemed to settle in the air around them. “It’s not about ignoring the hurt, Jack. It’s about choosing not to let that hurt define your next step. Revenge doesn’t heal you. It just leaves you more broken. If we keep choosing anger as our response, we’re just continuing the same fight. But when we choose peace, when we choose to break the cycle, we start to heal. That’s where true strength lies.”

Jack: “You make it sound so easy. Like all I have to do is decide to be peaceful, and the world will just change.” His eyes narrowed, frustration creeping back into his voice. “The world doesn’t work that way. Violence, anger, revenge — they’re everywhere. They’re the rules we live by. You can’t just walk away from them.”

Jeeny: “I’m not saying you can walk away from everything, Jack. But you don’t have to let the world dictate how you react. Violence and anger may be all around us, but you don’t have to choose them. You don’t have to fight fire with fire. If we keep reacting out of revenge, we’re only adding more fuel to the flames. If we choose to step outside of that, to respond with something different — with kindness, with understanding — we start changing the narrative.”

Host: The wind picked up slightly, the rustling of the leaves in the trees filling the silence between them. Jack was quiet, his thoughts visibly churning. There was a quiet struggle in his eyes, as though he was torn between the weight of his own past and the possibility of a different way forward. The world around them, with its constant anger and violence, seemed to pull him in one direction, while Jeeny’s words seemed to be pulling him in another.

Jack: He exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s hard to imagine a world where that’s possible. Where we don’t have to fight back, where we don’t have to make them pay.”

Jeeny: “I know it’s hard, Jack. And it’s not about turning the other cheek or pretending like nothing matters. But think about it. If we keep reacting out of anger, we never really move forward. We just stay stuck, angry, and hurt. The cycle repeats itself. But if we break it, if we choose not to feed the fire, we change the story. We start to create a different reality, not just for ourselves, but for the people around us.”

Jack: He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes distant as he let the words sink in. The frustration and anger that had been his constant companions over the years felt like they were slowly starting to lose their hold on him. But there was still hesitation, still the part of him that was afraid of letting go. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that. I don’t know if I can let go of the anger.”

Jeeny: Her voice softened, but there was a quiet conviction in it. “You don’t have to let go of it all at once, Jack. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about making the choice, over and over again, to break the cycle. You don’t have to carry the weight of anger forever. You can choose a different path, one that leads to something better, something that frees you.”

Host: The night had fully settled around them, but the silence between Jack and Jeeny was no longer filled with frustration. Instead, there was a quiet understanding, the beginning of a shift in Jack’s heart. The weight of his past still loomed large, but for the first time, he could see a different way forward — a path that didn’t lead to more anger, more violence, but to something that might heal him.

Jack: He looked at her, his expression softer than it had been before, a hint of hope flickering in his eyes. “Maybe... maybe there’s another way. Maybe it’s worth trying.”

Jeeny: Her smile was small but filled with quiet pride. “It’s always worth trying, Jack. We don’t have to let revenge keep us in the cycle. We can choose something different.”

Host: The wind had calmed, and the night stretched out before them, not as a threat, but as a new beginning. Jack knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but for the first time, it felt like a path he could walk — not with anger in his hands, but with something gentler, something that could lead to healing instead of more destruction. The choice was his.

The world, too, was waiting for change. And maybe, just maybe, it could start with a single step.