Revenge

Re·venge: Verb (to use with object) - to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindicitive spirit. 

Revenge is something that happens after the fact. It's one thing to stand up for yourself at the time. Revenge is a completely different animal. It's something that can manifest itself to albatross proportions based on a distorted sense of injury. Edgar Allen Poe captured the irrationality of revenge perfectly in the short story, The Cask of Amontillado. In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor, a man who may be insane, narrates his elaborate revenge on his friend Fortunato, whom he believes insulted him. His revenge is ultimately completed after he buries Fortunato alive. The moral of the story? Don't be a fucking psychopath. People who actively seek revenge are people who can't accept loss. If someone does something to you, especially something minor, and you feel the need to go off of the deep end planning an intricate plot in order to prove that you are the dominant species, you need help. Everything in life is so minor in the grand scheme. A perceived insult just showcases a crack in the "impenetrable" emotional shell so many believe they have. If you really don't give a shit about anything, nothing would ever bother you. And that is the best philosophy to have to an extent. Don't sweat the small stuff, rather enjoy moments for what they are. Don't worry about the future, don't live in the past, live in the present, do what it is you want to do, and improve yourself as a person every second until you're the best person you can be. Revenge is living in the past. It is unproductive. And revenge, even more so than ultimatums, is the ultimate sign of weakness.