According to ABC News, "People who seek revenge are driven by anger and violence and have not thought about how to channel their negative feelings into something positive." Well, I hate to break it to you ABC, but that simply is not the case for all of us. Revenge does not have to be driven by violence, nor does it have to be driven by anger. Of course the precursor to all revenge is anger, but that anger subsides with time. I still remember the blinding rage I felt when was told I was fired at the start of this pandemic. I still remember throwing remnants from all my years of hard work in the theater in the recycle bin. I still remember never wanting to see any of those programs again, wanting to forget that I had ever even set foot in a theater. I remember it just fine, but I am not longer angry about it, nor do I have any desire to commit an act of violence. Those who commit violent acts may indeed claim that they were seeking revenge, but what they are really experiencing is aggression, which just happens to be triggered by alcohol, bullying and narcissistic personality traits. But not everyone who feels the need for revenge is an alcoholic, nor a victim of bullying, nor a narcissist. I am none of these things. I care deeply for others, even strangers. I was one of the most popular children at my school and I gave up on alcohol years ago after it worsened my epilepsy. Indeed, one of the main things people overlook about the character Hamlet is that he is grossly insulted by King Claudius, who sleeps with Hamlet's mother shortly after having his father killed. Most people may not call that bullying, but bedding another man's mom after you off his dad is certainly a huge insult that would probably drive most people to violence. I have not been insulted. Sure, people have tried to insult me. But how do you insult someone who could care less about the opinions of others? You cannot, try as you may. No, this is not about insults. This has nothing to do with narcissism. This is about the science of life, the truth behind the fiction. The reality is that people seek revenge because of the pleasure it brings. It feels good to get back at others, or at least to level the playing field. In the old days, they referred to this as justice, the most humane of all forms of revenge. Admit it, you feel good when that politician you hate sticks their foot in their mouth and takes a dive in the polls. You rejoice when that news anchor you cannot stand slurs his words. You practically jump out of your seat and dance when your old boss gets caught embezzling money from the company. Yes, revenge is sweet, but justice is sweeter. And so I am always out for a more just form of revenge. Harming others physically simply will not do because I find no pleasure in harming others. So what must be done is to tell the truth, the real truth, the inconvenient kind that makes you question where you buy your products. That is where you hit people the hardest. That is where you exact true justice. What is true can never be controlled. Liars can only run away from the truth and try to hide it everywhere it turns up, but eventually they all crack under the pressure of their own lies. You will always find me there, applying the pressure to the liars until the cracks begin to show. It may not seem like it now, but trust me when I say I have them on the ropes. They have already achieved and so are busy playing defense, whilst I launch my full offensive of inconvenient truths in their pitiable directions. I am not vanquished. I am stronger than ever. What was it Hamlet said about Claudius? "Up sword...When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed; at gaming, swearing, or about some act that has no relish of salvation in't; then trip him..." Every great man falls eventually. It is just a question of when. I shall outsmart them all. Brevity is the soul of wit, so says black Hamlet.