Recently one of our neighbours behaved abominably. My instinctive reaction was to fly into a temper, take drastic action against him and pay him back in the same coin. But at the end of the day these emotions are draining.
Though I still feel he should be taught a lesson B-I-L says we should resolve the issue peaceably. I think my immediacy stems from a deep rooted proactiveness to nip the wrong in the bud. How do we save ourselves from such rogues? By countering with equal potency?
Peace is elusive. When I think I have at last carved out a no-interference zone for myself some obnoxious creature trespasses boundaries.
I am still looking for an all protective shield.
The only problem is I don’t know where to get it.
***
Have you seen ‘The Final Problem‘ streaming on Netflix?
I highly recommend this series to all murder mystery addicts – no gore, no violence only a lot of mind hunting.
Thirteen people in an isolated hotel on the island of Santa Águeda, Mallorca. The death of an English tourist named Elisa Mander inexorably pulls Benjamin Basil, a yester year veteran actor, famous for playing Sherlock Holmes on screen, to play detective.
Is Professor Moriarty, Holmes’ arch nemesis, in hiding on the island? Or is it Irene Adler, whom Holmes alludes as the woman , behind the triple murder?
A reference to A Scandal In Bohemia in the plot makes me read the short story. The king of Bohemia engages the services of Sherlock Holmes to get an incriminating photograph from one Ms. Irene Adler, with whom the King has had a fling. The woman is now blackmailing the king when he is about to get married. However, Irene turns out to be smarter and hoodwinks the greatest detective compelling him to acknowledge the wit and grit of the beautiful lady.
***
In the real world sweet and just vengeance is a far cry. The villains, masked or unmasked, get away with the most brazen of acts whereas average men and women of mediocre resources look for cover or compromise. Seeking solace in a page turner or an edge of the seat on-screen narrative where the protagonist exposes the culprits and lays bare their dark deeds is the maximum the common man can get close to poetic justice.
When the (s)hero wins the public applauds. Perhaps our deep desire to get even with evil finds identification in the dauntless courage of the avenger. It is not only the unraveling of the suspense but deducing a crime layer by layer implies stripping off the boastful villainy of the perpetrators who in reality mostly slip out of hand.
***
I see my neighbour crossing the line again and again and just wait for an opportune moment when he will get caught in his own misdeeds. Till then there is no other option but to be unendurably patient.
Sometimes patience is the strongest form of revenge.🤍
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Perhaps you are right 👍
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That urge to pay someone back in their own coin is so real, but you captured the wisdom of stepping back so well. Thanks for sharing this perspective!
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Thank you Khadija for your understanding and appreciation 🙏
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You have my full sympathy. I know how difficult these situations can be. We’ve had similar experiences with our neighbour, and we’ve learned that patience is often the best response.
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Yes, Rupali only co-sufferers can understand the situation. In fact I have had many such bad experiences. You cannot teach civics sense to people. Though I believe one should speak out when some wrong is being done in the long run patience is the best till the wrongdoers are paid back in their own karmic coin.
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Your piece captures the quiet frustration of dealing with everyday antagonists — the kind who never face the neat justice we see in fiction. Detective stories comfort us because they promise resolution, while real life demands patience, restraint and a thicker shield than we’d like. Your instinct to act is human, but your choice to hold your ground without losing yourself is strength. Until life delivers its own reckoning, protecting your peace becomes its own form of victory.
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Yes, you are right Indrajit. Closure for day to day antagonism is seldom found. Patience is the only faculty that keeps us going.
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Keep going strong. All the best.
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Just revenge is a tricky thing, my friend. Be careful and plan well! 😉
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This is not revenge just for the sake of revenge. It’s these miscreants who make life difficult on a day to day basis. If they are not stopped they can become a constant irritant.
I believe it’s important to raise a voice of protest if someone’s doing something wrong.
It’s really sad that people cannot live peacefully in the community.
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It seems to me that some people thrive on drama and conflict. It’s unfortunate and I hope you can rein them in.
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अपने मन की शांति के लिये सब्र करना अच्छी बात हे,पर ऐसे लोगों पर गुस्सा भी बहुत आता हे और दिल करता हे कि reel life की तरह real life में भी कोई हीरो इन को इन के किये की सजा दें.
बहत सारे मुजरिम इस दुनिया से अपने किये की सजा भुगते बगैर चले जाते हे.
इसी लिये किसी शायर ने कहा हे
कयामत खुद बताये गी कयामत क्यों ज़रूरी हे.
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तुमने मेरी दिल की बात को बहुत अच्छे से समझा और लिखा। बेसब्री शायद हमारी इम्तिहान लेती है। कभी कभी लगता है मैं क्यों नहीं बन सकती अपने जिंदगी की हीरो। पर सच्चाई ये है कि वे सब किताबों और सिनेमा के परदों पर ही सही रहता है असल जिंदगी में नहीं।
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“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
You can’t trump divine justice.
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Yes, I absolutely agree but sometimes things go beyond tolerance. It us then that I crib.
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I hope your patience pays off
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Thank you so much Derrrick 🙏
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“I am still looking for an all protective shield.” hits home. Patience is one arduous journey but getting there perhaps will make everything else look petty. Wishing you well in the journey and I know you are already quite there 🙂
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I understand your desire to get even. I’ll look for this series.
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Yes Sadje. It’s an interesting series. And a very short one.
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That works for me. Tomorrow I will get another injection in my eye so I will have time to watch it
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All the best Sadje. Hope you get well soon
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Thank you so much dear sister
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