[The Second Take] Should Moon Dong-eun Also Love Her Enemies?

"Turn the Other Cheek":
Religious and Legal Doctrines Urge Forgoing Revenge
But For Victims, Enduring May Be Another Form of Violence

"Jesus said, 'If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.' This is a sermon often delivered by Pastor Isara's father (Lee Byung-jun) in the Netflix series 'The Glory.' It is a counsel Jesus gave to his disciples and the crowds in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5. It urges love for enemies and prayer for persecutors.

The New Testament, including the Gospel of Luke, repeatedly encourages giving up revenge. It teaches to entrust the pain and loss inflicted by others to God's judgment. Jesus himself practiced this by bearing the cross. "Father, forgive them! For they do not know what they are doing." The Catholic Church also defines intentional retaliation as a sin. To avoid punishment, one must pay a price through confession or penance. Buddhism is no different. It regards grudges and desires for revenge as personal responsibilities. Acts of retaliation contradict Buddha's teaching that the enemy is not others but lies within oneself.

For school violence victim Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), all this is just empty talk. She has staked her entire life on revenge. Her ultimate goal is not money or restoring honor. She solely desires the suffering of her adversaries. She has already prepared for death or worse. "Do you know the good thing about having no religion? Your destination is already decided. Hell."

The source of hatred is the perpetrators like Park Yeon-jin (Im Ji-yeon) and Jeon Jae-joon (Park Sung-hoon). But what has grown uncontrollably is a society of distrust and betrayal. Corruption and injustice are rampant not only in families but also in schools and police stations. Even when abuse is known, silence is enforced. If anyone raises the issue, they face harsh retaliation. Even the last bastion, the judicial system, operates at will, increasing isolation and helplessness.

Since ancient times, laws have often constrained the self-esteem and quality of life of the weak. Even the Code of Hammurabi, which directly conflicts with Christian doctrine on revenge, failed to serve as a protective net. Although it seemed fair to all with 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' there existed social classes that could not be mixed. Babylonian elites had to give their own eye if they harmed the eye of a citizen of the same class. However, if they blinded a commoner, they were only required to pay a fine.

Even after the balance of judicial justice shifted from retributive justice to reform, rehabilitation, and restoration, unjust treatment did not decrease. Situations that provoke anger are transferred to the target that caused them, leading to impulses to seek revenge. Most grudges and hate crimes in the world stem from such emotions. Considering the tragic outcomes, they should be controlled, but it is not easy. It is human instinct.

Stephen P. Fineman, Emeritus Professor of Management at the University of Bath, UK, defined revenge in his book 'The Psychology of Revenge' as "a persistent and powerful human desire." "It is an innate instinct embedded in our biological and social nature, triggered by intense emotions such as grief, sorrow, humiliation, and anger."

Under the guise of civilization, we are forced to endure. We are taught that society will take revenge on our behalf. But it can be endlessly insufficient for the victim, and even if sufficient, the wounds already received do not fully heal. People like Moon Dong-eun or Joo Yeo-jeong (Lee Do-hyun) can reveal their instinctive desires again at any time. Sermons to love enemies or exhortations to endure suffering can be another form of violence that triggers this. It might be better to encourage perpetrators to ask for forgiveness instead. This way, the tragedy of revenge will not perpetuate, and the wounds may heal even a little.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.