What If?
@SunlightSwoon (1060)
United States
July 11, 2011 9:47am CST
Last night I had a 'nightmare', that involved my family and a situation that hasn't existed for many years.
Well, it went like this ... I was living with my family again [the situation], in an apartment that we had recently just rented. While we were all in the kitchen together [if you can believe this] a group of men, pried our front door open and took us captive.
Okay, I can't remember all that occurred in the dream ... but after waking, I thought about this weird dream and I was wondering about what I would do to these people, if I was able to turn the tables on them 
.
Instead of my family being victimized, we instead subdued our captors and subsequently they became the captured 
.
The question became ... would I turn them immediately over to the authorities or would I dole out a little punishment before calling the police?
Honestly, I am strongly leaning in the directions of dishing out a little of my own justice, but what would you do with these fictional invaders? 
.
Instead of my family being victimized, we instead subdued our captors and subsequently they became the captured .
The question became ... would I turn them immediately over to the authorities or would I dole out a little punishment before calling the police?
Honestly, I am strongly leaning in the directions of dishing out a little of my own justice, but what would you do with these fictional invaders? 2 responses
@edb225112 (124)
• United States
11 Jul 11
We have lost our faith in our justice system or 'dishing our a little of my own justice,' or revenge would not be in our vocabulary. What would you get out of giving these people a little taste of vengence if it were not for your lack of faith that these criminals would get some justice if sent to the system. And if you did punish them, your vengence would only fuel your fears and embolden your desire to punishment. We can not commit an act without the very act changing our own well being. The better question would be, am I willing to degrade myself and become like the criminal, for the momentary pleasure of revenge or could I rise about my base nature. The question you advance has been part of our thinking since the Greek Helenistic period. Does the taste of the criminals blood really take away the pain or just increase our violence.
1 person likes this
@SunlightSwoon (1060)
• United States
11 Jul 11
Quite honestly, I think my biggest concern would be that sometime in the future, they would return to finish what they started.
The justice system can punish them for the crime/crimes, but after they have completed their sentence ... many criminals believe that you [the victim] have did them an injustice and a few will seek revenge.
@bouncybug (614)
• South Africa
11 Jul 11
I think I would leave things to the police, or other means of justice rather than trying to take the law into your own hands. It might be very tempting to punish people who have hurt you in this way but I believe that they should be sufficiently punished by the law if they are arrested - sometimes some crazy things happen where criminals can sue people for assault, even though they were only acting in self defense! So rather leave the criminals to the law!
1 person likes this
@SunlightSwoon (1060)
• United States
11 Jul 11
You are absolutely right, the right way would be to let the law handle this matter and I am sure that I would have followed that course.
Nonetheless, I guess I have heard and read too many stories where honest individuals did the right thing and the criminals or their friends, prior to the trial have returned and eliminated the witnesses. So, I guess I just let my imagination get the best of me.
And I can't remember why they commandeered my home, but from what I can remember, we weren't harmed.
It's just that 'the thought' of my home being brazenly invaded [in the dream] both terrifies me and angers me.
