When we saw movies and read books about revenge, we always thought how cool and just it was.

What always motivated the hero was "I am obligated to do justice."

Or “he must pay for what he did”

But when I started looking at these stories from a perspective that tried to figure out the smartest way to maximise utility, I saw how ridiculous and stupid revenge is.

And not only in stories, revenge is a futile path.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a book of revenge. The book is about a young and successful man whose life is ruined when his enemies put him in prison for a crime he did not commit.

In prison he discovers the location of a treasure. And about the person who betrayed him and ruined his life. During the book he manages to escape from prison. And from there begins the story of his revenge.

But his plans don’t only affect those who wronged him. Innocent people—such as the family members of his enemies—also suffer greatly.

This raises a moral question: does personal justice justify the suffering of others?

Is that justice?

The real point is that when a person has hurt you once, and it is impossible to change the deed that has already happened, revenge will be unnecessary and, moreover, it can cost you a fortune.

People may not understand this because they are acting on emotion. And therefore justifying stupid actions that they do. And the real answer is if you want to continue from the bad place you are in right now because of someone, the rational thing to do is to do what you can to grow back to where you were instead of spending your energy on things that happened in the past and cannot be changed.

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