Better Than Revenge

Taylor Swift's song "Better Than Revenge" tells a story about a girl who got her boyfriend taken by another girl. The lyrics start off with "The story starts when it was hot and it was summer and, I had it all, I had him right there where I wanted him. She came along, got him along and let's hear the applause. She took him faster than you can say sabotage." Then she goes on to say "I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it. I underestimated just who I was dealing with. She had to know the pain was beating like a drum. She underestimated just who she was stealing from." So, the girl's boyfriend was taken by another girl, which was a bad act, but she says the bolded statement, meaning that she will get revenge on the boyfriend stealer. The one girl is happy, she has the boy and what she wanted, but she will get payback. The song doesn't explain what else happens, but we know that karma comes into play through revenge.

Criminals

As listed in the Global News, being a criminal has a lot to do with failure because of wrong decisions. Karma happens from someone doing something they shouldn't, and it gives them consequences in the future. If you rob a bank, kill a person, or are even just a mean person, it will eventually come back to you. It may take a while, but a person will be affected, whether it be physically or mentally. Osama Bin Laden for example was in charge of terrorist attacks on America. He went in hiding for many years, and wasn't found until almost ten years later. He may have been without consequences for a long period of time, but eventually he did get killed. Some people think it's okay to do bad things. They think they won't get caught. They think everything will be fine. Eventually though, whether it be ten years or a week, they will get caught and they will get in trouble. In some instances, a person may not get caught though. So is doing wrong ok? Absolutely not. They may not physically be in jail or killed, but inside that criminal will feel the wrong and will feel that they should have not done what they did. If a person doesn't feel this, psychological problems may be present. Criminals will get caught, karma will catch up to them.

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a very good example of how bad decisions can create failure. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, commits a crime of adultery. She cheats on her husband, and ends up being pregnant with another man's child. Hester's bad decision? Adultery. Her failure? A life of ridicule, harassment, and loneliness. She becomes a single mother with her daughter Pearl and constantly gets yelled at, things thrown at her, and is never truly excepted by the people in her town. A person might think of failure as losing a game or flunking a test, but Hester's emotional failure is just as bad.

Importance of Actions

In the first quote on my blog, "My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand. - Thich Nhat Hanh", the importance of one's actions is expressed. Thich Nhat Hanh uses a metaphor, actions being the ground, to help the listeners realize that actions are the center of a person's life, just like the ground is the stabilizer for a person's physical body. A person's actions are significant and can create consequences. This quote connects greatly with the main theme, Karma. Bad actions and decisions can create negative consequences, which is part of Karma's definition. By taking part in an action that shouldn't be done, people set themselves up to receive failure. Thich Nhat Hanh has a valid point; a person's actions should be the main focus of their life. Taking part in either positive or negative actions can affect someone's life immensely, whether it is for the good or for the bad. When it comes down to it, just do the right thing, because you never know what is going to come back and bite you in the butt.