09/01/2023
EYE FOR AN EYE
The greatest revenge, I've come to learn,
is becoming someone who no longer desires to exact it.
Someone willing to break the endless cycle
of painful reciprocation.
I can no longer afford to sacrifice myself
trying to get even.
I used to try like hell to hurt those who had broken my heart or spirit.
An eye-for-an-eye, as I was taught.
And when that didn't resonate or cut deeply enough, I would hurt myself.
Believing that you would see what you drove me to be. That the guilt you should feel would bring you to your knees - right beside me.
I so desperately wanted their remorse that it was paralyzing.
I've wasted so much time mourning the loss of people who've left for me for dead, that I stopped creating a life for myself. Consumed with heartache and regret. I didn't realize that, no matter where I was, no matter how destitute or desperate, I could exude something far more beautiful. Nobody can force me into becoming a lesser version of myself, or drag me down into a world filled with spite.
My hope for us is not that we strive to be altruistic but that we use our hardships as stepping stones forward. Onward. Upward. That we become an example of how love moves. We become someone who shows the world we refuse to wage war against others, and then become the peace often withheld from us.
I've been fighting my whole goddam life for all the things that have existed in me all along.
But I see now, the fight is over.
I've already won.
J. Raymond
"The Fight Is Over"
From The Kindred Project - pg. 24
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📸 credit: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/eye-for-an-eye/
