The Pendulum of Perpetual Pain (Inequality and Vigilantes)

The real problem with inequality
is that it swings both ways.
You take a fellow human being
and point out all the superficial differences;
skin/hair/eye pigmentation,
gender,
income,
sexuality,
where you were born,
who your parents are...

and then pretend it makes you better,
all you do is degrade yourself...
and every human being.
When you try to force validity into the destructive statement
that somebody that is essentially genetically identical to you
can be less than human, can be treated like a dog,
you unconsciously damage the very nature of who YOU are
as a member of the species you are condescending.

And the thing about inequality is that we as humans
have a tendency to not be satisfied with just an apology,
but crave reciprocation,
and most often retribution...
and revenge.

The thing about inequality is that it goes both ways,
and when you make an enemy you become an enemy,
and the pendulum can only be pushed so far
before you either carefully ease it back to center
or it swings back into the other direction
with all the energy and force
that was put into lifting it so far.

This is also the problem with revenge...

"Burn down their homes,
rape their women and children,
put them in chains,
show them how it feels,
so we can forget
how they made us feel...
we'll never forget
until we become who they were
and they become who we were,
then justice will be done"

The more you give the pendulum,
the longer it swings back and forth,
slicing ruthlessly with every pass
across the tender, broken heart of humanity.