John Wick is a retired hitman who used to take out other hitmen. He is the most dreaded bogeyman of other less dreaded bogeymen. A mobster’s son who fancies his fancy car asks how much it costs, saying ‘Everything has its price’. Wick says it’s not for sale, and the offended guy plots ‘revenge’, steals it and kills his dog. A monster thus awakened another monster.
Little did he realise that the dog meant the world to him, being a gift from his deceased lover. Thus did Wick seek deadly revenge, and when he does, the mobster does too. Little did Wick realise that the son meant the world to his father too. Wick tells the son before killing him, ‘Everything has its price’, but kind of forgot it applied to him too? What ensues? A gory showdown of bogeymen.
You get vengeance for exacting vengeance. It’s blood for blood if it’s an eye for an eye. It is true then, what the Buddha said, that hatred cannot be ceased by hatred. Since it is your personal karma that led to your suffering expressed through others, don’t take bullies too personally! Seek justice and wake them up from their misgivings if you can, but don’t create more misgivings by feeding fuel to the (gun)fire!
Related Articles:
Can Buddhists Seek Revenge? (‘Out Of The Furnance’ Of Hate)
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2014/11/can-buddhists-seek-revenge-out-of-the-furnace-of-hate
Does Being Angry Break Any Buddhist Precept?
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2015/02/does-being-angry-break-any-buddhist-precept
