Why Should We Not Rejoice At The Downfall Of Our Enemies

Such questions can be viewed as a big high level humanity question or a small one at an individual person level.

It also matters if we are talking about the enemy suffers a downfall or meets death itself.

Enemy meets death:
Any human's death is a solemn moment of reflection on our mortality and related stuff. If a rapist & murderer is put to death, the victim's family and their supporters celebrates outside while the murderer's family hold a silent vigil nearby... is such celebration right or wrong, how right or how wrong? I find it easier to be moderate in response when those involved are strangers. Acknowledge the deaths, the impacts on the victim's and murderer's families, and hope for peace and closure.

If the person who dies was one a near/dear, and caused serious suffering to you, it can be hard to avoid unkind thoughts at their passing away or if they were sick for a long time before dying. In such case, the easier way through this is to acknowledge the unkind thought and let it go by. Totally avoiding such thoughts is difficult for the average human. So, let those thoughts flit away like clouds.

Enemy meets suffering or downfall:
Enemy here is a person who has hurt you or caused you significant irreversible suffering. Rejoicing at the downfall of our enemies is not of much use or sustained satisfaction. One can cobble up some form of forgive/forget and move on from the suffering but suddenly hear about a downfall suffered by the enemy. Should one rejoice? Is it wrong, right?

Such pondering always takes me back to a conversation from long ago. A friend's guy-friend dumped her with "I cannot go against my family after all." She was a gentle soul, one of those inclusive, compassionate kinds. One thing she said was, "I don't wish him ill, I don't him well either." That nuance and balance in her anguish has stayed with me ever since. And a song by Kishore Kumar from the movie Anamika poignantly picturized on Sanjeev Kumar: meri bheegi bheegi si palkon pe. The lovelorn hero is very specific in the song about the pain he wishes on his bewafa unfaithful love. He simply hopes she experiences whatever hurt and pain he has suffered.

Rejoicing at anyone's downfall will eventually reduce you in your own eyes. Better to temper these transactions down to an acknowledgement level. If you find yourself wishing someone ill -- you wish your business partner suffers cheating like they cheated you -- wish that and move on. Don't spend time and energy engineering or ensuring the enemy's suffering or downfall. If you hear of an enemy's downfall, momentarily reflect on "was it karma?", acknowledge any thoughts/feelings you experience, don't label them, don't give them an identity, let them flit away. Let those be the water and you sit by the stream watch it flow away.

Total purity of mind, thought, heart, words and action is an ideal goal and eternal pursuit. Life is what happens in the meanwhile. It's like walking through a dirty street avoiding dirt as much as one can, and washing away the rest on reaching home.

My 11 am got cancelled, so I wrote the above. That is my reason and excuse. What is yours for reading it?